A major accident in the world’s longest rail tunnel, and the continuing role of railways in the Ukraine war, comprise the second part of our look at the top international rail stories of 2023. Switzerland’s Gotthard Base Tunnel closed The derailment of a freight train in the world’s longest rail tunnel on Aug. 10 led […]
TORONTO — Toronto’s transit agency is preparing to sell the rolling stock from its defunct Scarborough Rapid Transit line to Detroit, the CBC reports. The Detroit Transportation Corp. has approved purchasing the equipment and parts for up to $1 million and would also cover the transportation costs, DTC General Manager Robert Cramer told the CBC. […]
RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Rail Division has awarded $10.2 million for its share of 10 rail infrastructure projects at state short lines and ports. The state provides a 50% share of funding for the projects, which will improve 27 miles of track and 14 bridges, through its Freight Rail and […]
MILWAUKEE — Amtrak is reinstating monthly passes on the Milwaukee-Chicago Hiawatha service as of January. The monthly pass option had been eliminated when variable pricing was introduced on the route in November, as part of Amtrak’s nationwide move to a two-tiered pricing system [see “Variable pricing begins …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 1, 2023]. Commuters […]
The year 2023 has seen major new rail lines enter service around the world, with new high-speed lines opening as far apart as Spain and Indonesia. High speed developments weren’t quite as positive in the United Kingdom, where part of the HS2 system was axed by the government. And new railway technology, in the form […]
Today marks the beginning of our annual Trains News Wire year in review, which includes our countdown of the Top 10 news stories of the year, as selected by a vote of staff members and other key contributors. A total of 25 stories received at least one vote in this year’s balloting, including six that […]
WASHINGTON — A rail-related project at the Port of Long Beach in Southern California and replacement of the Interstate 5 bridge between Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash., are among projects to receive federal Mega Grant funding, according to announcement by federal legislators. Another such grant, for a new rail drawbridge at Stuart, Fla., has already […]
RICHMOND HILL, Ontario — A structural failure in a bathtub gondola car led to the June 2019 derailment of a Canadian National train in the tunnel between Sarnia, Ontario, and Port Huron, Mich., the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in a report released Monday, Dec. 18. A total of 45 cars and a distributed-power […]
READING, Pa. — The agency working to launch Amtrak service between Reading and Philadelphia has approved the hiring of a consultant to work on the study required as part of that process. WFMZ-TV reports that the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority voted on Monday to award a contract to infrastructure consulting firm AECOM to begin […]
STUART, Fla. — The city of Stuart, Fla., will receive a $130.5 million federal Mega Grant to help fund replacement of the Florida East Coast Railway/Brightline bridge over the St. Lucie River, a bottleneck for rail operations and a point of friction between the rail operators and the local marine industry. The TC Palm newspaper […]
WASHINGTON — The temporary shutdown of the U.S.-Mexico railroad border crossings at Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, has thrown a kink into supply chains that demand reliability. Eagle Pass and El Paso are the No. 2 and No. 3 rail gateways by volume, respectively. Union Pacific says the closure has prompted it to place […]
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Fort Lauderdale’s fight over whether to build a $500 million bridge or a $3 billion tunnel to handle rail traffic through downtown could heat up further on Tuesday, as city officials meet to vote on their preferred option — after the city’s mayor sent out an email newsletter to voters saying […]
