SACRAMENTO — California legislation that would limit train lengths and require wayside detectors cleared its first hurdle in the state legislature last week, advancing through the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications. The bill, which advanced by a 12-4 vote on April 21 with one committee member not voting, was introduced in February by […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and service on two Metrolink commuter lines will see disruptions starting this Monday, April 28, as the Surf Line is closed in San Clemente to allow for emergency repairs. The work is expected to last approximately six weeks. For the Pacific Surfliners, modified service will continue between San […]
LOS ANGELES — A long-discussed direct rail connection to Los Angeles International Airport is not quite here, but it’s getting closer. LA Metro’s LAX Transit Center — which will eventually provide a connection to a people mover serving airport terminals — will open on June 6, the transit agency announced at an April 24 board […]
WASHINGTON — The conductor of a contract switching operator at BNSF Railway’s auto distribution facility in Richmond, Calif., was killed when he was pinned between two railcars during a shoving move, the National Transportation Safety Board said today (April 23, 2025) in its preliminary investigation report on the April 4 incident. The conductor of three-person […]
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority announced three of its four unions have ratified new contracts, while negotiations continue with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265. Agreements have been reached with Service Employees International Union Local 521, representing more than 300 workers in information technology, communications and finane; the American Federation […]
FRESNO, Calif. — A Southern Pacific steam locomotive on display in a Fresno park for almost 70 years is about to receive a new home. SP No. 1238, a class S-10 Baldwin 0-6-0 built in 1918, is slated to be moved from Fresno’s Roeding Park to the city of Kingsburg, about 24 miles to the […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — The California Coastal Commission has approved an emergency permit allowing Orange County’s transit agency to undertake some stabilization measures along the rail line connecting Orange County and San Diego. The Orange County Transportation Authority board, at a Monday, April 14, meeting, authorized the OCTA to address four areas along the Surf […]
Southern Pacific AC-7 class 4-8-8-2 No. 4165 pulls an extra freight near Mount Shasta, Calif., in January 1944. Baldwin built 195 such “cab-forward” locomotives for the railroad, classes AC-4 through AC-12, except for AC-9. Classic Trains collection […]
STOCKTON, Calif. — The Stockton Diamond Grade Separation project, which seeks to eliminate an at-grade crossing of BNSF and Union Pacific main lines, has received $14 million in federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funding. The funding has been approved by the San Joaquin Council of Governments, or SJCOG “The last thing our farmers and […]
SAN JOSE, Calif. — SMART-TD has reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract with TransitAmerica Services Inc., contract operator for Caltrain commuter service, the union announced Tuesday (April 8, 2025). The union, the International Asssociation of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division, represents 150 conductors and assistant conductor. The contract, retroactive […]
DENVER — Sierra Northern Railway conducted a successful initial test of its first hydrogen locomotive, a four-axle switcher, in late March, the company announced today (April 8) at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association conference. The initial testing took place March 27 in West Sacramento, Calif. “This accomplishment marks another major milestone in […]
WASHINGTON — A Hulcher Services employee was seriously injured when he was pinned between a rubber-tire loader and a railcar during a rerailing operation at the Port of Stockton, Calif., the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary investigation report released today (April 7, 2025). The incident occurred March 11 at about 3:03 p.m., […]
