Two E6 diesels pose grandly with Illinois Central’s newly streamlined all-Pullman Panama Limited in an early-1940s publicity photo. Electro-Motive photo […]
Panama Limited publicity photo
Type of Train: Passenger/Transit
Charlotte would pay Norfolk Southern $91 million for commuter rail route
CHARLOTTE, N.C. —Charlotte would pay $91 million to Norfolk Southern for right-of-way and other land needed for a long-discussed commuter rail line running to the north under a proposal presented to city council members on Monday. The plan includes $74 million for 22 miles of rail line and $17 million for 1.6 acres of land […]
Metra brings back fall Saturday trips on Heritage Corridor
CHICAGO — Metra’s “Rails, Trails, and Ales” program — a series of Saturday trips on the normally weekday-only Heritage Corridor — will return for a fourth straight year starting Sept. 7, the commuter operator announced Monday. The trains will operate on six consecutive Saturdays from Sept. 7 to Oct. 12, with three round trips each […]
SEPTA to expand Regional Rail service on Sept. 8
PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority will expand Regional Rail schedules as of Sept. 8, adding 99 weekday trains and 24 on weekends, the agency announced today (Monday, Aug. 26). The additional trains will increase weekday service to 80% of pre-pandemic levels (up from 77%) and weekend operation to 84% (up from 63%). Ridership […]
Amtrak North Coast Hiawatha service through the years
Amtrak North Coast Hiawatha service joined the Chicago to Seattle market as an unnamed, triweekly train on June 5, 1971. It obtained the North Coast Hiawatha name, a combination of Northern Pacific’s North Coast Limited and Milwaukee Road’s Hiawatha fleet, and Nos. 9-10, with the first Amtrak timetable issued on Nov. 14, 1971. It operated […]
CN, CPKC preparing to restart Canadian operations; union declines to return Sunday (updated)
Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City are moving toward restarting operations early Monday following a Saturday ruling by the Canada Industrial Relations Board ending the work stoppages at both railroads. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, however, continues to take issue with the CIRB decision sending the dispute between the union and railroads to binding […]
Union announces tentative deal for conductors with Amtrak
WASHINGTON — The union representing Amtrak conductors and assistant conductors announced it had reached a new tentative agreement with the passenger operator for a seven-year contract covering more than 2,100 employees. The agreement with the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) will include a “substantial general wage increase,” the […]
News photos: Metra tests waters of O’Hare service with convention shuttle
CHICAGO — The Democratic National Convention may be over, but Metra’s O’Hare Shuttle service, operating between Chicago Union Station and the airport, will continue for a few more days. The commuter operator arranged with Canadian National, host railroad on the North Central Service portion of the route, and CPKC, dispatcher of the Milwaukee West segment, […]
Caltrain offers first look at all-electric schedules
SAN FRANCISCO — A month before Stadler electric, bilevel multiple-unit trainsets are set to completely transform Caltrain’s 51-mile corridor from downtown San Francisco to San Jose, Calif., commuters are getting their first look at specifics of the schedules to be implemented beginning Sept. 21. Some electric trainsets began operating earlier this month [see “News photos: […]
Canadian commuter operations remain shuttered because of lockouts
The apparent end of lockouts at CPKC and Canadian National is not bringing an immediate return for commuter rail service halted by the labor dispute. Commuter lines suspended Thursday in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal will remain out of service today (Friday, Aug. 23) despite the government order to send the dispute between the railroads and […]
Metro-North’s Waterbury Branch could remain closed for five weeks
WATERBURY, Conn. — It could take up to five weeks and several million dollars to repair severe flood damage on Metro-North Railroad’s Waterbury Branch, officials said during a Thursday tour of damage on the commuter rail line. Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi said the damage from the storm on Sunday, Aug. 18, that halted operations caused […]
Lockouts begin on CN, CPKC
Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City are now shut down in Canada after locking out Teamsters Canada Rail Conference operating crews beginning at 12:01 a.m. today (Aug. 22) — the first time both railroads have been hit by a work stoppage at the same time. A lockout of CPKC rail traffic controllers began […]
