MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Wendell J. Dillinger, 93, lifelong railroader and founder and CEO of the 7-mile-long Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad in Central Pennsylvania, died Dec. 10. During his 47 years of operating the line, he ran diesel freight and passenger trains, acquired and restored to service ex-Canadian National Railways 2-6-0 steam locomotive No. 91, and […]
Section: News Wire
Five hospitalized after Pacific Surfliner hits truck, derailing one car
SOMIS, Calif. — Five people were taken to hospitals for treatment after a Los Angeles-bound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner hit a truck at a grade crossing Tuesday, Dec. 12, derailing the train’s cab car. KABC-TV reports the collision occurred about 6:20 p.m. near the intersection of Sand Canyon Road and State Route 118 between Somis and […]
Sound Transit CEO Timm to resign
SEATTLE — The CEO of Sound Transit is resigning after just 16 months, sending the agency back into a search for a new chief executive. Julie Timm, who became CEO in September 2022, will “return to the East Coast to take care of family matters,” Sound Transit said in a statement on Tuesday, Dec. 12. […]
Saskatchewan mayors seek to shift route of VIA’s Canadian
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan — A group of mayors in Saskatchewan are proposing to shift the route of VIA Rail Canada’s Canadian northward from its current route to Canadian National’s Prairie North Line, saying the shift would offer a number of benefits for the passenger train. The mayors of Lloydminster, North Battleford, Warman, and Yorkton, Sask., presented […]
New York comptroller finds half of recommendations for LIRR on M9 contract were not implemented
ALBANY, N.Y. — In a follow-up to a 2022 report, the New York Office of the State Comptroller found the cost of a Long Island Rail Road order for M9 electric multiple-unit railcars manufactured by Kawasaki has continued to increase, while half of the recommendations made by the Comptroller’s office in the original report have […]
Two rail projects receive federal Rural Surface Transportation grant funding
WASHINGTON — A pair of rail-related projects are among the 18 selected to receive grants totaling $645 million under the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program, announced Tuesday, Dec. 12, by the U.S. Department of Transportation. “Rural communities face some of the toughest transportation challenges, yet are often left out of major federal investments, a pattern […]
News photos: Pop-Up Metro lends a hand with Army-Navy Game
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — When the Army-Navy football game was held in Massachusetts for the first time on Saturday, Dec. 9, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority helped transport the sellout crowd of 65,878 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, thanks to a branch line that serves the stadium. Rail Development Corp.’s Pop-Up Metro concept played a supporting […]
CTA train was in emergency braking when it struck snow removal machine
WASHINGTON — A Chicago Transit Authority train was in an emergency brake application when it struck a snow removal machine last month, according to the preliminary report released today (Tuesday, Dec. 12) by the National Transportation Safety Board. While preliminary reports set basic facts of an accident and do not determine cause of an incident, […]
DC Metrorail faces major cuts under proposed WMATA budget
WASHINGTON — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has released a budget for the fiscal year beginning in July 2024 that calls for drastic cuts to rail and bus service unless money can be found to address an operating deficit of $750 million — roughly 25% of the current budget. The proposed budget will include […]
East Broad Top will not hold Winter Spectacular; Friends group announces new guidebook
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — The EBT Foundation, Inc. announced Monday, Dec. 11, that due to scheduling and maintenance demands for its lone operating steam locomotive, the East Broad Top Railroad will not hold its highly popular annual Winter Spectacular railfan event for 2024. “The locomotive’s annual inspection falls during the period we have historically held […]
Gallery: Metra’s holiday trains
CHICAGO — Metra announced earlier this year that it would use trains decorated for special holiday excursions — which have been running to downtown Chicago on various routes on Saturdays since Dec. 2 — in regular commuter service, as well [see “Metra, CTA set plans …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 19, 2023]. This is a […]
Caltrain finalizes electrification operating plan
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Four trains per hour during peak periods, trip times for locals cut from 100 minutes to 75 minutes, and increased weekend service highlight Caltrain’s plan for service when electrification begins in fall 2024. The plan announced last week refines the initial proposal introduced in October [see “Caltrain offers details on initial […]
