Rapido N Southern Pacific 3/4 dome lounge Scale: N (1:160) Price: $89.95 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St, Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Rapido N Southern Pacific 3/4 dome lounge features: Body-mounted magnetic knuckle couplers Designed from original blueprints and field measurements of existing cars End doors with porthole windows Flicker-free, track-powered lighting (compatible with […]
Railroad: Amtrak
News photos: First Airo trainset visits Chicago on cross-country trek
CHICAGO — Its trials completed at the Federal Railroad Administration’s Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colo., Amtrak’s first Siemens Airo trainset is now headed east to the company’s Philadelphia coach yard, where it will be based for Northeast Corridor testing and commissioning. That trip included a stop in Chicago today (Oct. 22, 2025). The train […]
Amtrak, Metro-North to provide more New York-Albany service
ALBANY, N.Y. — Amtrak will restore one currently suspended Empire Service round trip between New York City and Albany as of Dec. 1, and Metro-North Railroad will begin offering service between New York City and Albany in the spring of 2026, according to a joint announcement today (Oct. 20, 2025). New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, […]
UP derailment in Missouri leads to Amtrak cancellations
KNOB NOSTER, Mo. — About 20 cars of a Union Pacific train derailed early today (Friday, Oct. 17) west of the town of Knob Noster, closing a major highway and leading to the cancellation of Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner. KMMO Radio reports the derailment occurred about 2 a.m. and led to a closure of a […]
Illinois touts funding for passenger rail projects but obstacles remain: Analysis
CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker disclosed earlier this month that his administration seeks to commit almost $1 billion of planned 2026-2031 infrastructure spending to several languishing passenger rail initiatives in the state, but translating proposals into tangible results continues to be a challenge. Hanging over all new construction endeavors is the need for Illinois […]
Communities to provide $650,000 in funding for Chicago-Pittsburgh passenger proposal
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Communities represented by two regional commissions, along with the city of Ft. Wayne, Ind., have committed some $650,000 in funding for a proposed Amtrak service linking Chicago and Pittsburgh via Ft. Wayne and Columbus. The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission announced the funding, also including backing from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, on Oct. […]
Trump suggests Gateway Tunnel project is ‘terminated’ (updated)
WASHINGTON —New York’s Gateway Tunnel project may be halted, based on a brief comment in a lengthy news conference by President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Oct. 15. While not identifying by name the project to add two tracks under the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York’s Penn Station, Trump suggested it was the […]
Agreement seeks to develop transportation hub, passenger rail service at Michigan Central station
DETROIT — Michigan Central Station, the long-abandoned rail facility revived last year by Ford Motor Co. as the centerpiece of an innovation district, could see trains again under an agreement announced today (Oct. 15, 2025). The Michigan Department of Transportation, the city of Detroit, and Michigan Central, the company overseeing the innovation district, have agreed […]
Virginia’s ‘Long Bridge’ project to require five-hour midday work window (updated)
WASHINGTON — Starting early next January, no freight or passenger trains will be scheduled to cross the Potomac River between Washington, D.C., and Alexandria, Va., during an 8:15 a.m.-to-1 p.m. window seven days a week for up to five years. This will accommodate construction on a $2.3 billion, four-track bridge being built to replace the […]
Amtrak to hold public board of directors meeting in New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS — Amtrak will hold its annual board of directors meeting accommodating public attendance in New Orleans on Dec. 4, 2025, the company has announced. The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, 601 Loyola Ave. The public can attend in person or online; […]
News photos: Amtrak cleans up in Chicago
CHICAGO — Amtrak’s Chicago train wash is now active, as evidenced by the cars and locomotive of the company’s New York-Chicago Cardinal, seen here backing into the facility after its run on Monday, Oct. 6. The Cardinal emerged sparkling from its 2-mph splash, though a departing Metra train prevented photos of the result. The trainset […]
MTA CEO blasts Amtrak for delays on Penn Access project (additional update)
NEW YORK — Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber has blasted Amtrak for a lack of cooperation on the Penn Access infrastructure project, saying the situation is “outrageous, and it’s been a problem from the start of that project.“ Amtrak, which initially called Lieber’s statements “misinformation,” updated its initial statement Tuesday afternoon with details on […]
