ORLANDO, Fla. — Travelers planning to take Amtrak between Washington, D.C., and Florida now have two choices: The Miami-New York Silver Star, which also serves Tampa and Orlando, and Auto Train, operating from Sanford, Fla. (near Orlando), and Lorton, Va., just south of the Nation’s Capital. A third choice, the Miami-New York Silver Meteor, has been […]
Zone & Region: Northeast
Additional CTrail trains, buses to offset some Amtrak service cuts
NEWINGTON, Conn. — Connecticut will add additional CTrail trains on the Hartford line as of today (Monday, Jan. 24) to offset the loss of service resulting from Amtrak cuts, while other Amtrak trains will be replaced by bus service, the state Department of Transportation announced. Amtrak announced cuts to its Springfield Shuttle and other service […]
RDC excursion set on Reading & Northern (corrected)
PORT CLINTON, Pa. — Railroad Historians of the Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society are sponsoring a branchline excursion using Reading & Northern’s Budd RDCs on Saturday, April 23. The fundraising trip will cover Reading & Northern’s main line and branches, which include trackage from the Reading, Jersey […]
Maintenance error suspected in fatal MBTA crossing-gate accident
WILMINGTON, Mass. — An error by a signal contractor apparently led to a fatal accident in which a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority train struck a vehicle, killing its driver, on Friday. The Boston Globe reports that MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said in a statement that “human error” is the focus of the investigation by […]
Connecticut governor, Amtrak CEO meet to discuss rail projects
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and state Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giuletti met with Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner on Friday in New Haven to discuss rail infrastructure projects within the state, the governor’s office said in a press release, with the governor emphasizing the need to invest now to bring faster trains to […]
Study offers favorable view of New York’s Interborough Express proposal
NEW YORK — A proposal to create the Interborough Express, a transit project which would connect Brooklyn and Queens to as many as 17 subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road, is indeed feasible, according to results of a study released Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber. The […]
Worker killed while walking in area of limited clearance, NTSB says in report
WASHINGTON — A Housatonic Railroad employee was killed in an October 2020 accident because he attempted to walk into a limited-clearance area and was struck by a moving track excavator, the National Transportation Safety Board determined in a newly released accident report. The accident occurred on Oct. 14, 2020, in North Canaan, Conn., killing a […]
Lieber confirmed as MTA’s CEO, chairman
NEW YORK — Janno Lieber was confirmed Thursday as Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, following his nomination earlier in the month by Gov. Kathy Hochul and serving as acting chairman and CEO since July 2021. Following his confirmation, Lieber named four individuals to positions in the MTA’s executive leadership. […]
Cleanup continues after Buffalo & Pittsburgh derailment
WEST MAHONING TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Cleanup continues after a locomotive and 17 cars of a Buffalo & Pittsburgh train derailed at midday Monday, WJAC-TV reports. No injuries were reported. The cars involved were reported to be empty or contained non-hazardous materials such as cardboard or scrap metal. A blocked grade crossing was expected to be […]
Plans set for new Genesee & Wyoming dispatching center
ST. ALBANS, Vt. — Work is set to begin in April on a new dispatching center for short line company Genesee & Wyoming near downtown St. Albans, the Valley News reports. The 10,000-square-foot building, on a long-vacant site, will replace an older facility in the building. St. Albans City Manager Dominic Cloud said the company […]
Amtrak conductor killed in apparent fall from train
WESTERLY, R.I. — An Amtrak conductor died Saturday after apparently falling from a train while preparing for a station stop. WJAR-TV reports the 26-year-old woman was found dead along the tracks near the Westerly station after Northeast Regional train No. 163, bound from Boston to Washington, stopped because other crew members realized the conductor was […]
Amtrak asks regulators to protect passenger service as part of CSX-Pan Am merger
WASHINGTON — Amtrak on Friday asked federal regulators to impose seven conditions on CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of Pan Am Railways, arguing that they are needed to protect current and future passenger service in New England. Dennis Newman, Amtrak’s executive vice president of strategy and planning, made the request during the second day of a […]