MTA awards contract for Penn Station redesign

Illustration showing station concourse under large glass ceiling

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, in partnership with NJ Transit and Amtrak, has approved a contract for the redesign of New York’s Penn Station. A joint venture of FXCollaborative Architects LLOP and WSP USA Inc, with British architect John McAslan + Partners as collaborating architect, will advance a plan for a single-level facility […]

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New York City to install security cameras on all subway cars

Man and woman talking on platform between subway trains

NEW YORK — New York City Transit will install security cameras on its entire fleet of subway cars, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday. “I am proud that we will be installing cameras on all Subway cars — expanding our security capabilities, deterring crime, and providing our law enforcement with support,” Hochul said in a press […]

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Boy Scout Jamboree on the Reading

Having ridden a GP7-powered train in from the National Jamboree camp at Valley Forge, Pa., Boy Scouts troop down a platform at Reading Terminal, Philadelphia, en route to tour historic sites in July 1957. RDG photo […]

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Amtrak’s Maple Leaf overtakes a freight train

Passenger train approaches on track next to passing freight

Amtrak’s Maple Leaf catches a CSX intermodal train   With vehicle-train collisions near the top of the issues list following the Southwest Chief derailment at a Missouri roadway earlier in the summer, Trains News Wire scouted an appropriate photo location in western New York during a recent trip to capture an Amtrak train at a […]

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MBTA’s Orange Line service to resume Monday as scheduled

Subway train at nearly empty station

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s 30-day shut down of the Orange Line — the second most-used route on the MBTA rail rapid-transit system — will reopen as scheduled on Monday morning after a 30-day shutdown, MBTA officials said Sunday. The unprecedented shutdown led to significant disruptions for commuters, but also allowed the transit […]

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NJ Transit, online wagering site announce naming-rights deal

Detail of map showing route named "BetMGM Meadowlands Rail Line"

NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit announced Wednesday it had signed a three-year naming-rights agreement with Jersey City-based online wagering site BetMGM to rename the transit agency’s rail line to the station serving MetLife Stadium, home of the area’s two NFL teams, as the “BetMGM Meadowlands Rail Line.” NJ Transit did not announce the value of […]

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More Amtrak services set to be suspended

Passenger train runs on single track with Chicago skyline in the background

Amtrak will suspend seven more long-distance trains as of today (Wednesday, Sept. 14) as it prepares for a possible interruption of national freight rail service. Also, the three regional operations in California — the San Joaquins, Capitol Corridor, and Pacific Surfliner — are preparing for service disruptions to begin Thursday and take full effect on […]

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Former Metro-North official sentenced in kickback scheme

Logo for MTA Metro-North Railroad

NEW YORK — A former Metro-North official has been sentenced to at least a year in prison in a kickback scheme, amNY.com reports. James Berlangero, 64, was a contract manager at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority commuter railroad. He received $70,000 from Long Island firm WRS Environmental Services for providing the company with inside information and […]

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Metra says some lines will be halted by freight rail strike

Commuter trains meet on curve

CHICAGO —Metra expects it will be unable to operate on at least some of its 11 Chicago-area commuter rail lines in the event of a work stoppage on Class I freight rail lines, the agency said in a statement today (Tuesday, Sept. 13). Commuter operators elsewhere are also beginning to assess their situations in light […]

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Vermont Rail System updates its paint scheme

Freshly painted red and white locomotive

BURLINGTON, Vt. – Vermont Rail System, operator of five railroads in Vermont and New York, is rolling out freshly painted locomotives in its new image. But you will need to look closely to notice the minor change being introduced as the company paints power for the first time in a decade. The repaints will carry the […]

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