Since 2019, Union Pacific has been in the steam spotlight with its restored 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4014. In 2024, CPKC stole some of 4014’s thunder with its “Final Spike Tour” using Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816. From April to July, No. 2816 operated from Canada through the central U.S. and through Mexico to Mexico […]
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 […]
WASHINGTON — Five members of California’s congressional delegation have written U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, urging approval of a $536 million grant request by the California High-Speed Rail Authority for tunnel design work. U.S. Sens. Alex Pedilla and Adam Schiff, and U.S. Reps. Pete Aguilar, Jim Costa, and Zoe Lofgren — all Democrats — said […]
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A former Amtrak station in Grand Rapids is for sale, but if you’re interested in buying, be prepared for a big dent in your budget. The news site Mlive.com reports the building, on a 0.6 acre lot, is being offered for $1.5 million by developer Jonathan Bryant of the firm Underground […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canadian Pacific Kansas City exceeded the allowed revenue for western grain movements by almost Ca$2 million during the 2023-24 crop year, and must pay the overage and a 5% penalty, the Canadian Transportation Agency has determined. In a Dec. 24 decision, the CTA determined that CPKC exceeded the Maximum Revenue Entitlement of […]
BRENHAM, Texas — Seventeen cars of a 127-car BNSF coal train derailed Tuesday (Dec. 24, 2024), near the town of Brenham, KHOU-TV reports. No injuries resulted but at least one grade crossing is facing an extended closure. The derailment occurred about 9:30 a.m. at the New Wehdem Road grade crossing adjacent to State Route 36, […]
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 […]
David H. Hamley, a professional engineer and Trains magazine author with a talent for writing about diesel locomotives, died Dec. 18 at a hospital near his home south of Pittsburgh. He was 84. Born in Pittsburgh on Nov. 4, 1940, Hamley in 1965 earned a degree in engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and went […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak says service has been fully restored between New York’s Penn Station and Philadelphia. The company said “all services are operating” in a post shortly before 8 a.m. ET today (Dec. 24, 2024) on its Northeast Corridor alerts feed on X.com. However, Amtrak also reports that Acelas No. 2154 (a 7 a.m. […]
Amtrak carried more passengers in its 2024 fiscal year (October 2023-September 2024) than at any time in the company’s 53-year history. The milestone was achieved primarily by adding Northeast Corridor frequencies and deploying enough passenger cars on its main East Coast artery to meet expanding travel demand. Nationwide, however, it was a different story. While […]
BRUSSELS, Belgium — If you’re considering train travel in Europe, you can expect to do well in Italy. On Eurostar, it’s another matter. Italy’s Trenitalia is the best rail passenger operator in Europe, while Eurostar — the international operator linking London to Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris — is the worst overall, according to rankings released […]
