Tag Archive for: Springfield

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Peter Pan driver Everett ‘Andy’ Anderson says staying focused allowed him to drive 4 million miles accident-free

MASSLIVE: SPRINGFIELD — Chairman and CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines Peter A. Picknelly playfully greeted driver Everett L. ‘Andy’ Anderson Monday, asking him: “You didn’t get into an accident on the way over here, did you? Because that would be bad.”

Anderson answered: “What did you see?”

Anderson did not get into a crash, accident or even a fender bender. And he hasn’t since starting work as a driver for Peter Pan in 1970.

That was 4 million miles ago — the equivalent of 20 trips to the moon or about 161 bus trips around Earth. Anderson is only the second bus driver on record in the country to achieve 4 million accident-free miles, a feat that takes at least 48 years.

“You have to stay focused,” Anderson said Monday before being honored by the company and Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno at a ceremony in Springfield’s Union Station. “It’s not easy. But you have to stay focused. And it’s getting harder because the car drivers are getting more aggressive.”

Dave Kollisch, a long-time fellow driver for Peter Pan, says Anderson is known for his strength and reliability. “Andy is adored by the rank and file of Peter Pan,” Kollisch said Monday. “Even after 53 years, he’s a strong man who never gives up.”

Anderson handles one of Peter Pan’s most rigorous day routes — the round trip between Springfield and Boston. “And he never misses a day of work. He’s up before the break of dawn and drives the longest day route we have,” Kollisch said.

The late Ed Hope, who also drove for Peter Pan, achieved 4 million accident free miles in 2017. Everett’s brother, Joseph Anderson, achieved 3 million accident-free miles for Peter Pan in 2011.

Peter Pan Bus Lines drivers average about 100,000 miles a year, Picknelly said.

Read more MassLive here: https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/03/peter-pan-driver-everett-andy-anderson-says-staying-focused-allowed-him-to-drive-4-million-miles-accident-free.html?utm_campaign=masslivenews&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR23Lnr-DTo-OPRX60n44hfmS6eDEAfa80YlNdyCaws9HVyTTk7_Fmb8JKI

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U. S. Rep. Richard Neal celebrates $3 million for Cybersecurity center at Springfield Union Station

MASSLIVE: SPRINGFIELD — U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal announced a $3 million earmark Tuesday funding the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at Springfield Union Station.

The money comes through congressionally directed spending from the Department of Education. Neal included funding for this project in the fiscal year 2023 spending bill that was signed into law on Dec. 29. It’s one of 15 projects totaling $20.4 million Neal included for the district in that funding package.

Back in October, Neal, D-Springfield, and others welcomed a $1.46 million state grant for the center.

“The threats facing our nation at both the national and local level are significant, and having the cutting-edge technology capable of countering these threats is of the utmost importance,” Neal said in a statement. “Union Station has become a world-class intermodal transportation hub for the Greater Springfield community, and it will now serve as home to a state-of-the-art cybersecurity training center. This will give the brightest young minds in our region the resources they need to combat these threats, ultimately expanding the region’s skilled workforce and shoring up the resiliency of our cybersecurity in western Massachusetts and beyond.”

The center will be an essential piece of the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Consortium and will give students seeking a career in the growing cybersecurity field with professional opportunities and hands-on training, the news release said.

That consortium includes Springfield Technical Community College and other area institutions including Bay Path University.

Read more on MassLive here: https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/01/u-s-rep-richard-neal-celebrates-3-million-for-cybersecurity-center-at-springfield-union-station.html

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Sci-Tech Chorus Performs “Believe” at Springfield Union Station’s Annual Tree Lighting

 

 

Springfield students decked the halls at Springfield Union Station, with joyful music for the second annual holiday tree lighting. 

The historic concourse was filled with holiday cheer as U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno assisted in lighting the tree and kicking off the holiday travel season. 

The Sci-Tech high-school choir, under the direction of Dr. Jose Passalacqua, performed “Believe” from The Polar Express.

Springfield Union Station, owned by the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, is an intermodal transportation hub located near the North End of Springfield. The station serves as the hub for the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, along with Peter Pan Bus Lines, Greyhound Lines, and Hartford Line commuter rail, and is the home of Dietz & Co. Architects and the Hispanic-American Library.

About: First opened 1926, Springfield Union Station featured gleaming terrazzo floors, a restaurant, lunch counter, barbershop, shoeshine parlor, and small shops to service hundreds of daily passengers who boarded up to 130 trains every 24 hours. The station closed in 1973, which also started a 40-year quest by present-day Congressman Richard E. Neal. Neal eventually secured the funding needed to completely renovate and reopen the historic building. Today, Springfield Union Station is not only a train station but also included a state-of-the-art intermodal transportation center with local and long-distance buses and a new parking garage. Office, retail, and restaurant space has been leased.

Media Contact

GCAi for Springfield Union Station

Mary Cate Mannion 

413-312-8600

mcmannion@gcaionline.com

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Kids on Track: A Model Railroading Job Fair at Union Station

Springfield – On August 6 & 7, the Amherst Railways Society and Springfield Union Station are hosting Kids ON TRACK – a Model Railroading Job Fair at Union Station in Springfield, Massachusetts.

 

Area model railroad clubs will have operating model railroads set up in the historic Union Station concourse, and children (of all ages) will have a chance to run trains.

Model railroads are fascinating to watch. But, the real thrill is getting a chance to run your own train. And, that’s what the Model Railroading Job Fair is all about.

 

Kids ON TRACK is an emerging national effort by the model railroad industry to encourage young modelers, and link model railroading to STEM education.

There is no charge for this event and the Union Station parking garage, located on Main Street, will be offering a special $2 event parking fee.

For more on the Amherst Railway Society, visit: amherstrail.org.

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About the Amherst Railway Society

The Amherst Railway Society is a community of people who share a fascination with railroads.

The society sponsors the annual Railroad Hobby Show held each year at Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA, two model railroad clubs, and a philanthropy program that has donated $815,000 to railroad preservation and restoration projects all over the United States.

The society started in the mid-1950s on the campus of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and is currently based in Palmer, Massachusetts.

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