HONOLULU — Hitachi Rail is suing the city of Honolulu and the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation over cost overruns on the Skyline light rail project. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports Hitachi Rail Honolulu JV, the project’s principal contractor, is suing for more than $324 million, claiming breach of contract and unjust enrichment over the nearly […]
As the Chicago-St. Paul, Minn., Borealis surpassed 100,000 riders a little over five months after its May 21, 2024, debut, the train far exceeded the performance that its state sponsors, passenger rail advocates, and Amtrak had suggested would occur. In fact, Borealis’ origins and public acceptance contain elements that should be weighed heavily when decisions […]
WASHINGTON — An Amtrak train left a large number of passengers behind when it departed Washington Union Station for New York on Dec. 26, the Washington Post reports, reportedly after doors to the station platform were never opened to allow customers to board. A passenger posted on the social network Reddit that passengers received a […]
NEW YORK — The Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad are introducing a new weekend discount program for those with monthly tickets as part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s effort to encourage more public transit ridership in conjunction with the start of Manhattan’s congestion pricing program. The “Winter Weekend” program allows passholders to travel […]
WASHINGTON – Union Pacific has resolved the broader service problems that prompted Amtrak’s complaint about the tardy performance of the Sunset Limited in the 12 months ending on Sept. 30, 2022, the freight railroad told federal regulators this week. UP, which hosts the Sunset Limited for 1,770 miles of its 1,994-mile route between New Orleans […]
WASHINGTON — Class I railroads this week disagreed with Amtrak’s contention that its passenger trains should enjoy absolute and unlimited priority over freight trains. Amtrak, as part of its complaint over Union Pacific’s handling of the Sunset Limited, told the Surface Transportation Board earlier this year that every individual dispatching decision must result in the […]
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Railroads on the Gulf Coast and in the East are familiar with hurricane preparedness and plan accordingly for wind, storm surge, and flooding. But they cannot prepare for a hurricane causing an unprecedented, once-in-a-thousand-years event. That’s what happened about 24 hours after Hurricane Helene made landfall on Sept. 26, 2024, as a […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has not done enough in streamlining its procurement process to make it more efficient, better serve customers, and save money, the New York State Comptroller’s Office says in an audit report issued on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. In a response to legislation passed in April 2019, the MTA […]
N scale Modutrak on Display | Catch up with Host Gerry Leone, as he chats with Keith Kohlman while operating the Modutrack display, an N scale (1:160) layout inspired by the HO scale (1:87.1) Midwest Mod-U-Trak display at Trainfest 2024! Keith reveals insights about the massive modular display that only comes out for big shows! […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York state legislative leaders have rejected a $65 billion capital plan for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, citing a major funding shortfall. The website Gothamist reports that State Senate Majority leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie notified MTA CEO Jannon Lieber of the rejection in a Christmas Eve letter. The […]
The switch to full electrification between San Francisco and San Jose came on Sept. 21 (San Jose-Gilroy service is still diesel powered), and ridership showed an immediate jump. In October, the first full month of electrified service, ridership increased 54% from the same month a year earlier. The average weekday ridership was up 38% at […]
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Regional Transit is investigating a ransomware attack on its operations that slowed light rail operations last week — a problem originally believed to be a computer glitch. The agency announced on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, that it has “launched an investigation, activated its Cyber Incident Response Team, notified law enforcement, and engaged […]
