Norfolk Southern, CSX monitor east’s first tropical storm (updated)

Radar image of large storm over Florida

LAKE CITY, Fla. — Eastern railroads have marked the beginning of another hurricane season, as Hurricane Debby hit the made landfall between Tallahassee and Jacksonville, Fla., today (Monday, Aug. 5) and subsequently was downgraded to a strong tropical storm. The storm brought 70-mph winds and heavy rains across Pinsley Railroad Corp.’s Florida Gulf & Atlantic […]

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Why do railroads use catenary?

Orange, black, and white model electric locomotive running under catenary.

When you think about electrified rail lines today, the first thing that probably comes to mind is Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. But in the first half of the 1900s, before the start of the diesel era, railroads used electrified lines to move freight and passengers. Examples in the east included the New York, New Haven & […]

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Consultants hired to help develop plans for two passenger routes

Streamlined Amtrak passenger train on curve in mountains

Consultants have been hired this week to develop plans for two lines — Chicago-Fort Wayne-Pittsburgh and the former North Coast Hiawatha route — that are candidates for future passenger service under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program. The City of Fort Wayne, Ind., working with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and the […]

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Amtrak seeking $300 million in grants for NEC work in New Jersey

Aerial view of rail bridge across other rail lines

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has applied for almost $300 million in federal grants to address infrastructure needs on the Northeast Corridor, including problems with the catenary system that have led to significant delays in recent months, NJ.com reports. The passenger company is seeking $299.7 million through four Federal Railroad Administration CRISI (Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety […]

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Big city, big station

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A view east down Clybourn Street in Milwaukee in the 1940s is dominated by the Milwaukee Road’s depot on the south edge of downtown. An engine crewman climbs into the cab of an F7 Hudson on a westbound train as its tender is filled with water. Classic Trains coll. […]

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MBTA continues progress on track improvements with Red Line project

Maintenance crew working in tunnels of transit system

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s latest extended maintenance shutdown led to the elimination of nine speed restrictions — two more than originally planned — on the rapid-transit Red Line, the MBTA said on Tuesday. The work was conducted between Alewife and Kendall/MIT July 12 and 15-26; from Alewife to JFK/UMass July 13-14 and […]

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Southwest Chief again disrupted by freight derailment (updated)

Amtrak logo.

Amtrak’s Southwest Chief is once again facing cancellations on the central portion of its route because of a freight train derailment, according to the Amtrak Alerts feed on X.com. The westbound train that departed Chicago today will be canceled between Kansas City and Albuquerque, with no alternate transportation provided, while the eastbound train that left […]

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