News Wire Digest for May 30: Chicago Red Line victim identified; NS derailment in Virginia; Alaska Railroad consolidates passenger operations
Saturday morning rail news in brief:
RTD stops transit service to downtown Denver
All bus and rail service to and from downtown Denver is shut down following a Friday decision by the Regional Transportation District to suspend operations to and from the city center because of planned protests. In announcing the move on Friday, the RTD said it had “made these decisions to ensure the safety of our staff and our riders.” Details are available at the RTD website. Check the website and social media for updates.
Victim of Chicago Red Line incident identified
The man killed when he was pushed in front of a Chicago Transit Authority Red Line train
has been identified, the Chicago Tribune reports. Joseph R. Smith, 26, of Chicago was pronounced dead at 1:13 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. A suspect is in custody; his name has not yet been released.
NS train derails in Virginia
Five locomotives and 14 cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed Friday near Front Royal, Va., the Farquier (Va.) Times reports. The 46-car train, bound from Columbia, S.C., to Enola, Pa., included some “limited hazardous material,” according to the report, but none of those materials were spilled and no injuries were reported. Front Royal is approximately 70 miles west of Washington, D.C.
Alaska Railroad to consolidate some passenger operations
In light of the coronavirus situation, the Alaska Railroad will
consolidate some of its passenger operations as of July 1, combining the Hurricane Turn flagstop service with the Denali Star summer train. KTUU-TV reports the combined service will operate with a 50% occupancy cap. “This consolidation represents our ongoing evaluation of passenger needs and finding the most efficient and safest ways to meet them,” said Bill O’Leary, railroad president and CEO. Visit
the railroad website for more information.
