WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s purchase of a Wilmington, Del., office building will see few of the cost savings and personnel consolidation efforts the company envisioned because it failed to verify its plans, according to a new report from the Amtrak Office of Inspector General. The report, released Friday, is available in full here, although with some […]
Zone & Region: Northeast
SEPTA seeks proposals to replace trolley cars
PHILADELPIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority has begun the process of replacing its 40-year-old Kawasaki trolley cars, issuing a request for proposals for 100 new rail vehicles. WHYY reports the agency seeks larger vehicles, with a capacity of 65 as opposed to the current 45, and will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities […]
Vanterpool named FTA deputy administrator
WASHINGTON — Veronica Vanterpool has been appointed as deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, the agency announced May 11. Vanterpool has served as senior advisor in the FTA Office of the Administrator since August 2021, coordinating and directing the agency’s work on climate change, equity, innovation, safety, and workforce development. Previously, she was chief […]
T1 Trust displays progress in building new steam locomotive
HARRISBURG, Pa. — In the first public showing of the combined cab, boiler shell, and prow of its new streamlined steam engine, No. 5550, the Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Steam Locomotive Trust displayed its progress on a project whose backers hope to see it running by 2030. The Trust trucked the 30-ton assembly 1,200 miles from […]
Landmark Station Inn at Cresson, Pa., is sold
CRESSON, Pa. – The Station Inn, a longtime railfan landmark bed & breakfast in western Pennsylvania, has been sold to Alex and Leah Lang of the Pittsburgh area. The inn’s founder, Tom Davis, died Oct. 5 [see “Station Inn owner Tom Davis, 90, dies,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 13, 2021] and it remained open while […]
DC Metro names interim general manager
WASHINGTON — The new general manager named earlier this week by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will not start the job until late summer, the agency announced, leading to the appointment of an interim general manager. WJLA-TV reports Andy Off, an executive vice president at WMATA, will serve as the interim GM of the […]
New York legislators introduce state bill to require two-person crews
ALBANY, N.Y. — Legislators in New York state have introduced bills requiring two-person crews for most freight operations in the state. Senate bill S3953, introduced by Sen. Timothy M. Kennedy (D-Buffalo), would require two-person crews for Class I and Class II railroads, except for those engaged in switching, and specifies penalties beginning at $250 to […]
MBTA passenger sues after being left behind on train
BEVERLY, Mass. – A passenger who fell asleep and missed his station has sued commuter-train operator Keolis, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He injured an arm while trying to leave the train in a storage yard, according to the suit. Filing the action in Salem Superior Court last week was […]
Bowing to pressure from DC, FRA revises Union Station plan
WASHINGTON — Responding to citizen and District of Columbia criticism that its plan for redevelopment of Washington Union Station was too automobile-centric, the Federal Railroad Administration has revised its blueprint by eliminating a six-story, 1,575-space parking garage, according to the Washington Post. More than a year ago, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and other city […]
Jersey Central Camelback scooping water
Central Railroad of New Jersey 4-6-0 155 — one of CNJ’s many center-cab “Camelback” engines — takes water on the fly from the track pans at Dunellen, N.J., in late 1931. R. P. Morris photo […]
Berkshires to New York Amtrak service begins July 8
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The new seasonal rail service between Pittsfield, Mass., and New York City is scheduled to operate during summer weekends this year and again in 2023. Amtrak and local transportation officials will evaluate the demand, determining if the pilot project should be continued. “We are pleased to work together with our partner agencies […]
Hudson at Harmon
New York Central J-1 4-6-4 5249 eases off the turntable at Harmon, N.Y., the point 33 miles up the Hudson River from Grand Central Terminal where for decades NYC exchanged steam for electric locomotives. Ed Nowak photo […]