Hedlund named vice chair of Surface Transportation Board

WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board announced on Jan. 9 that Board Member Karen Hedlund has been designated as the agency’s vice chairman. Hedlund, who has served on the board since January 2022, succeeds Michelle Schultz, who continues to serve as a board member. The board’s vice chairmanship rotates among the members on an annual […]

Read More…

Patriot Rail acquires Delta Southern Railroad

patriotraillogo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Patriot Rail has added another short line to its stable. The short line holding company on Jan. 9 closed on its acquisition of the Delta Southern Railroad, which operates two line segments that are roughly 60 miles apart in Monroe and Tallulah, Louisiana. DSRR operates over 40 miles of track between the […]

Read More…

Metra to introduce expanded SouthWest Service schedule

Commuter train arrives at station

CHICAGO — Commuter rail operator Metra will introduce a major upgrade to its SouthWest Service schedule as of Jan. 16, increasing the number of weekday trains from 12 to 30 as part of a pilot program. “As we have done on other lines, we are adjusting the schedule on the SouthWest Service to meet increasing […]

Read More…

MBTA looks at returning older Orange Line equipment to operation

Subway train at nearly empty station

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority may return some of its older Orange Line trainsets to operation to address an equipment shortage as it continues to inspect and repair new equipment for the latest in a series of defects, Boston.com reports. At least nine of the new Orange Line cars built in Massachusetts by […]

Read More…

National Railroad Museum expansion plans approved

Architect's drawing of a new railroad museum exhibit building.

ASHWAUBENON, Wis. — The National Railroad Museum’s site plan for a 32,040-square-foot addition to its Lenfestey Center received unanimous approval at a Jan. 3 meeting of the Ashwaubenon Site Plan Review Committee, the Green Bay Press Times reports. Approval allows the museum to move forward with the expansion plan as long as it meets conditions […]

Read More…

Renovations planned for Pennsylvania Amtrak stations

Amtrak logo.

LATROBE, Pa. — Several upgrades are planned for two Amtrak stations in Pennsylvania this year along the route of Amtrak’s New York–Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian. In Latrobe, Amtrak plans improvements to the Pennsylvania Railroad station built in 1903 to address Americans with Disabilities Act deficiencies found throughout the structure, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. The station has a large […]

Read More…

Subway crash in Mexico City kills one

Orange and white "M" logo

MEXICO CITY — Two subway trains collided between two stations Jan. 7 in Mexico City, killing at least one person and injuring 41, the Associated Press reported. Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said the accident happened on Line 3 of the capital’s Metro system, without specifying the cause of the crash between the Potrero and […]

Read More…

China building more than 1,800 miles of rail lines in 2023

BEIJING – China is planning to build more that 1,800 miles of new railway lines this year, including 1,500 miles of high-speed railroad, Chinese media reports.Construction includes a total of 102 railway projects planned in the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for National Economic and Social Development and Vision 2035 of China. China […]

Read More…