NEW YORK — After a recent pause to consider objections from environmentalists, residents, and legislators, the Federal Aviation Administration has approved La Guardia Airport’s Air Train project. The New York Times reports the approval means preliminary work could begin later this summer for the construction of the 1.5-mile line connecting the airport to subway and […]
Zone & Region: Northeast
Grant to provide $3.4 million to support Alstom expansion in Upstate New York
HORNELL, N.Y. — A $3.4 million federal grant will help support the planned expansion of Alstom’s rail equipment manufacturing facility in Hornell. The Hornell Evening Tribune reports the U.S. Economic Development Agency is awarding the grant to the Hornell Industrial Development Agency for infrastructure work at the Shawmut Industrial Park, where Alstom is planning a […]
First car arrives for Buffalo’s Flour-By-Rail Legacy Project
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The first railcar for the Flour-By-Rail Legacy Project in Buffalo’s Silo City neighborhood has arrived and is now on display. Buffalo Creek No. 3424, a 40-foot car built by the Pullman Co. in 1952, arrived at the project site on July 15 and has now been placed on its trucks on a […]
Report says MTA significantly overestimated costs of restoring LIRR branch to operation
QUEENS, N.Y. — A new report suggests an engineering study released by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority significantly inflated the cost of restoring service on the Long Island Rail Road’s former Rockaway Beach Branch, abandoned in 1962 because of low ridership. The Transportation Economics and Management Systems Inc., or TEMS, report was commissioned by the group […]
Train-watching platform opens in Fairport, N.Y.
FAIRPORT, N.Y. — A new train-watching platform has opened in this historic village east of Rochester in Upstate New York. Located at the junction of the CSX Rochester and West Shore Subdivisions, the three-track line sees 40-plus trains a day on the route linking the Midwest with the New England and the New York Metro […]
BNSF restricts flow of containers from LA and Long Beach to Chicago
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway is limiting the flow of international containers from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to its Logistics Park Chicago intermodal terminal for two weeks to work off a backlog of boxes that have built up in the Windy City. “BNSF is metering traffic from the West Coast […]
Pennsylvania steam excursion demonstrates support for engineer
MINERSVILLE, Pa. — An excursion to raise funds for an engineer who has been a key part of the volunteer restoration of a former Central of New Jersey 0-6-0 has raised $12,000 to help with his medical expenses. Since 2012, when the all-volunteer non-profit Railway Restoration Project 113 of Minersville, Pa., began running its former […]
Western Maryland Scenic now operating Amtrak’s last dome car
CUMBERLAND, Md. — As tourist railroads and museums emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, they are offering new experiences to attract the public. At the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, this effort has translated into the addition of Amtrak’s last dome car. The Ocean View, built in 1955 and retired by Amtrak in 2019, debuted earlier this […]
Northeast Corridor Commission releases $117 billion infrastructure plan
WASHINGTON — The commission that helps fund Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor operations today released a sweeping blueprint that sets goals for passenger rail service improvements over the next 15 years, and the infrastructure investments and funding it estimates will be necessary to implement them. On the surface, “Connect NEC 2035,” or “C35,” might be viewed as […]
SEPTA, other Pennsylvania transit agencies seek new funding methods
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and other Pennsylvania transit agencies are asking state legislators to create new funding streams to address money from the state turnpike system that is coming to an end, and to take other measures to address transit needs. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports lobbyists and transit advocates are seeking […]
Norfolk Southern furloughs 86 at Altoona locomotive shops
ALTOONA, Pa. — Norfolk Southern furloughed 86 workers at its Juaniata Locomotive Shop in Altoona on Friday, while eliminating another 14 jobs through attrition, the Altoona Mirror reports. The moves leave the shop with approximately 400 workers. Workers learned of the layoffs Friday morning when they arrived for their shift and were prohibited from entering […]
1950s Pennsylvania Railroad railfan trip goes on despite ripping down the catenary
On August 4, 1957, the Pennsylvania Railroad dispatched an eight-car train of MP54 multiple-unit cars from Penn Station, New York. Aboard the excursion were hundreds of railfans anticipating a day of riding mostly freight-only trackage to the western extremity of PRR catenary at Enola Yard across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg, Pa. The exotic routing […]