BOSTON — Delivery of new rapid-transit cars by a local affiliate of Chinese manufacturer CRRC are falling farther behind schedule, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority board was told Thursday, and officials are expressing growing concerns about the quality of the cars being built. CommonWealth Magazine reports CRRC says it will need to add several more […]
Zone & Region: Northeast
Suit says city’s ‘quiet zone’ created unsafe situation
BEVERLY, Mass. — The City of Beverly created an unsafe situation by instituting a no-train-horn “quiet zone” within city limits, according to a lawsuit filed by the family a man killed by a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter train in October 2019. MassLive.com reports that the lawsuit by the family of Moses Shumow, a professor […]
Joseph Calisi, Trains contributor, dies at 67
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Joseph M. Calisi, a longtime contributor to Trains Magazine and Trains News Wire, particularly regarding transit matters in the New York area, died on Aug. 30, 2022. He was 67. Calisi, born in Bari, Italy, worked for New York City Transit for 34 years, retiring in 2020 as a computer associate. […]
Friends’ work week brings more progress
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – Friends of the East Broad Top volunteers wrapped up a week’s worth of labor on Friday, Sept. 23, the group’s second week of concentrated effort this year. The crew ranged between 10 and 20 people, working in close coordination with the railroad’s own full-time employees, according to Andy Van Scyoc, Friends […]
Long Island Rail Road bows to outcry, revises Port Washington Branch schedule
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. — Responding to an outcry over proposed changes, the Long Island Rail Road has restored six express trains serving Penn Station to a new schedule planned for its Port Washington Branch. Those changes will come as part of system-wide LIRR schedule revisions when the commuter railroad begins its East Side Access service […]
No injuries reported as SEPTA train derails in Trenton (updated)
TRENTON, N.J. — No injuries were reported but service was affected for two commuter operators after a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train derailed late Wednesday morning as the train left the Trenton Transportation Center. The derailment of the second and third cars of a four-car, Philadelphia-bound train, with 25 people aboard, occurred about 11 a.m. […]
Realistic operations on a raised railroad
Realistic operations on a raised railroad: In my first garden railroad, (see Garden Railways May-June 1990), The Great Lakes and Gazebo Railroad, the objective was to add interest to my garden, have fun around the pool, and engage my kids in a new way to play with Dad. My new chapter had to include a […]
SEPTA board approves land purchases for King of Prussia rail project
PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s board of directors has approved acquisition of some 70 pieces of property for its proposed King of Prussia Rail Line, the Philadelphia Business Journal reports. The agency is also on the verge of purchasing land for a new trolley barn, about 18 months after it was outbid by […]
DC Metrorail wheel problems predated current equipment, may be related to track
WASHINGTON — The independent safety agency that oversees the DC Metrorail system says the wheel problems that have sidelined most of Metro’s newest railcars also existed on older cars, and may stem from a track issue the agency was told about in 2015 but never addressed. The Washington Post reports the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission […]
New Strasburg GM packs experience, skills
STRASBURG, Pa. – Jim Hager brings a host of skills and experience to his new job as general manager of the 190-year-old Strasburg Rail Road, America’s oldest short line and now one of the country’s busiest and longest-running steam tourist railroads. A New Jersey native, he started hanging around the Black River & Western, another […]
Restoration effort begins for last surviving U34CH
BOONTON, N.J. — The United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey has begun restoration of the last surviving U34CH locomotive, a project it is undertaking in partnership with contractor and consulting firm FMW Solutions. The organization has begun the project with a $10,000 matching donation from the Tri-State Railway Historical Society. It will display the […]
Former NYC Transit President Byford to leave London job, return to US
LONDON — Former New York City Transit President Andy Byford is resigning from his leadership position at London’s transit agency for a position in the United States, but it’s unclear where or if he’ll be taking a new job when he returns. Transport for London announced Thursday that Byford is resigning from his role as […]