Video via Facebook CHICAGO — Dramatic dashcam video captured a near-miss in November between a Metra commuter train and as many as three vehicles at a suburban Chicago crossing where the warning lights and gates had malfunctioned. The video, taken from a police squad car, shows the vehicle just about to enter the crossing […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
GO Transit adds to Kitchener service NEWSWIRE
TORONTO — GO Transit is expanding service between Kitchener, Ontario, and Toronto, adding an additional round trip as of Jan. 7. The additional trains — a morning train departing Kitchener at Kitchener at 5:40 p.m. and a return trip departing Toronto at 3:35 p.m. — increase daily service to five round trips. The Ontario government […]
‘Leviathan’ to play role of Lincoln Funeral Train locomotive
Leviathan will get a new role in Pennsylvania this spring. Trains: Jim Wrinn ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — Good bye Central Pacific No. 63, Leviathan! Hello Pennsylvania Railroad No. 331. The operating 4-4-0 replica of one of the locomotives in the first transcontinental railroad 150 years ago is being redecorated to represent the PRR engine that pulled […]
New Mexico Rail Runner to offer free rides for seniors NEWSWIRE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The New Mexico Rail Runner commuter train will begin offering free rides for seniors (ages 62 and up) on Wednesdays as of Jan. 2, 2019. The program is good for all Wednesdays in 2019. Riders need only show a valid photo ID with a birth date to qualify. Visit the Rail Runner […]
Trains top stories for 2018: No. 2, Precision Scheduled Railroading NEWSWIRE
A Union Pacific train crosses underneath a positive train control-equipped signal bridge on BNSF Railway tracks in Cajon Pass, Calif., in 2013. TRAINS: Steve Sweeney A year ago, three of the Class I railroad systems — Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and CSX Transportation — were operating under the late E. Hunter Harrison’s Precision Scheduled Railroading […]
Washington Post: Koreas re-link by rail NEWSWIRE
North and South Korea Google Maps SEOUL — Observers are skeptical about new train traffic between North and South Korea despite a ceremony with officials from both countries re-joining rails between the countries for the first time in years. The Washington Post reports that a rail joining ceremony Wednesday in Kaesong, North Korea, involved officials […]
Amtrak, union reach agreement on relocation, severance for call center workers NEWSWIRE
A weathered sign marks the location of Amtrak’s reservation call center in Riverside, Calif., slated to close in January. David Croteau RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Amtrak has reached an agreement with the union representing workers at its soon-to-close Riverside call center over severance or relocation packages, the company said in a Friday email to the Riverside […]
Canadian government orders revision of rail work-rest rules to address fatigue issues NEWSWIRE
OTTAWA — Canada’s Minister of Transport has ordered the nation’s railroads to update their work rules to address crew-fatigue issues. In a Dec. 21 news release, transport minister Marc Gastineau said companies must submit updated rules for review by May 19, 2019, with the government to approve the updated rules by the end of June. […]
CN meets PTC installation deadlines, applies for two-year extension on full operation NEWSWIRE
A northbound Canadian National stack train passes through Waukesha, Wis., in May 2018. CN announced on Dec. 20 that it has met the Dec. 31 deadline for installation of PTC equipment. TRAINS: David Lassen HOMEWOOD, Ill. — Canadian National has met installation requirements for positive train control equipment and applied for a two-year extension to […]
Dallas Area Rapid Transit awards contracts to build Cotton Belt commuter line
DALLAS — Dallas Area Rapid Transit has awarded $872 million in contracts to design and build its 26-mile Cotton Belt commuter rail line, the Dallas Morning News reports. The contract was awarded to a joint venture of Archer Western Construction, based in Irving, Texas., and Herzog Contracting, based in Fort Worth. Construction is scheduled to […]
GE continues locomotive production in Erie, for now NEWSWIRE
ERIE, Pa. — GE workers are still assembling finished locomotives in Erie. That’s despite a GE promise in 2017 to shift finished assembly and production from Erie to the company’s newest assembly plant near Fort Worth, Texas, by the end of 2018. Those plans are on “pause” for the time-being the representative says. The Erie […]
Steam, narrow gauge worlds mourn loss of Ernie Robart NEWSWIRE
ALBUQUERQUE — The western steam and narrow gauge preservation communities today are mourning the loss of a long and remarkable fixture in their worlds: Ernie Robart has passed away. Robart was an early advocate for saving the Colorado narrow gauge, and his work ultimately led to the creation of today’s Cumbres & Toltec Scenic. He […]
