MIAMI, Fla. — After an absence of about 20 months, Brightline service resumed between Miami and West Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday, with the passenger operator offering discount fares, gearing up its door-to-door service plan [see “‘Brightline+’ app to enable door-to-door trip ticketing,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 27, 2021]. Opening-day service was marred by a […]
WINTER PARK, Colo. — Amtrak’s Winter Park Express ski train service will return in January, launching 12 weeks of Friday-Saturday-Sunday service between Denver and the Winter Park Resort. Service begins the weekend of Jan. 14-16 and will continue through the weekend of April 1-3, with one-way fares beginning at $29, and fares for kids ages […]
Thanksgiving in Toronto was about to begin. Shortly before noon, two teenagers swung down from the Pacific’s cab. Just as they hit the station platform, two peeps came from the cab communication whistle. The fireman turned around, waving a good-bye, and Canadian Pacific train 326 was in motion — 11 minutes away from its final […]
By Frederic Williams Rohm and Brian Michelson I grew up in central Pennsylvania where my family had been long-time residents. My garden railroad is based on the Pennsylvania Railroad circa 1900; my grandfather and uncles worked on the PRR. The premier Pennsy passenger train of this era was the Pennsylvania Limited, which began making the […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation is proposing to suspend a rule allowing movement of liquefied natural gas by rail while it considers potential modifications to the rule. In a notice of proposed rulemaking published Monday in the Federal Register, the DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration says it would suspend the rule […]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Nashville Steam Preservation Society’s fall 2021 open house will be this Saturday, Nov. 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Steam locomotive No. 576, formerly on display in Nashville’s Centennial Park for more than 60 years, has been undergoing a complete mechanical overhaul at the Tennessee Central Railway Museum since March […]
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada will add a second weekly round trip of its Montreal-Halifax train, the Ocean, beginning Dec. 8. “The return of this second frequency of the Ocean is good news for our passengers who now have more travel options in time for the holiday season,” Cynthia Garneau, VIA president and CEO, said […]
PITTSBURGH — Wabtec has signed contracts to build 100 ES30ACi Evolution Series locomotives for Egyptian National Railways, as well as a multi-year agreement to maintain the fleet. The dual-cab locomotive is designed for high performance in high-temperature environments. It will be equipped with a 12-cylinder, 3,300-hp engine, A.C. traction, individual axle control, and dynamic brakes. […]
WASHINGTON — The infrastructure bill passed by Congress will advance more than a dozen priorities of the National Transportation Safety Board, according to NTSB’s chair. “This is a very big win for transportation safety,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a Monday press release. “From protecting vulnerable road users to equipping vehicles with advanced drunk […]
WASHINGTON—The $66 billion set aside for passenger rail in the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act holds the promise of jumpstarting projects across the country, but the Federal Railroad Administration still must develop criteria to prioritize which investments receive funding. Those criteria are will have to be determined in the next 180 days, but […]
WASHINGTON – The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature includes significant spending for rail-related projects through 2026, from grants to shore up short line track to a study of Class I railroads’ use of long trains. Amtrak will receive the lion’s share of the rail funding, some $66 billion that would address […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has become the third Class I railroad to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for workers, citing the Biden Administration’s executive order requiring vaccinations for federal contractors. “While we maintain the decision to be vaccinated for COVID-19 is a personal one — and have encouraged employees to make the decision that is […]
