STB prepares for passenger rail oversight, will consider office, advisory group for passenger issues The Surface Transportation Board has created a staff working group to prepare the board for its oversight of passenger rail issues, board chairman Martin J. Oberman has announced. Under a recently enacted Federal Railroad Adminstration rule, the STB oversees standards for […]
Chicago RTA survey finds 20% of transit users may not return A survey by the Regional Transportation Authority, parent organization for Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and Pace bus service, indicates 20% of passengers who stopped using the Chicago area’s transit system during the COVID-19 pandemic may not return. Evanston Now reports the RTA surved […]
Union Pacific to close Palestine, Texas, car shop, subject of lawsuit Union Pacific will close its car shop in Palestine, Texas, as of June 14, eliminating as many as 57 positions. The Palestine Herald-Press reports employees were notified Thursday; a Union Pacific spokeswoman confirmed the closure and attributed it to operational changes across the system. […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak’s announcement that it will lift capacity restrictions on coach seating can’t come soon enough for long-distance train passengers. They continue to face limited availability at the highest “flexible” fares, or outright sellouts on many routes, because otherwise-idle equipment has not been added to service with consistently strong patronage since triweekly operation began […]
New stations, replacement of 122-year-old bridge on Metra’s 2021 capital to-do list Metra has launched its 2021 capital improvement projects, which includes work on two new stations, replacement of a 122-year-old bridge in Chicago, and continued work to close the remaining gap in the triple-track main line on the UP West line near Geneva, Ill. […]
Opponents sue FRA over decisions on Texas Central high speed project Texans Against High Speed Rail, six Texas counties, and 10 individual landowners have filed suit against the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Railroad Administration over the proposed Texas Central high speed project between Dallas and Houston, seeking to void the FRA’s Rule of […]
From January 2019 Trains When the Southwest Chief rumbles across New Mexico’s Raton Pass, with sleeping-car passengers paying as much as $1,058 to ride in a roomette, what is the train’s revenue-versus-cost effect on Amtrak’s bottom line? According to the “route level results” of the fiscal 2017 performance report, the Chicago-Los Angeles train generated $49.9 […]
Metrorail Commission says DC Metro moving the wrong way on safety issues The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, the independent agency created by Congress to oversee DC Metro safety issues, says the transit agency is moving the wrong way in terms of such basics as making sure trains stop for red signals and following worker safety […]
Caltrain board will consider merger with BART; BART has not discussed idea Caltrain’s board of directors will consider a merger with Bay Area Rapid Transit as part of a restructuring of the commuter railroad’s governance, although a BART spokeswoman says its board has had no discussions of the concept. The San Jose Mercury News reports […]
DENVER, Colo. — With an initial offer of $7.5 million in hand, bids are now being accepted for the sale through federal bankruptcy court of the San Luis & Rio Grande railroad, the former Iowa Pacific Holdings property based in Alamosa, Colo., that operates 154 miles of former Denver & Rio Grande Western lines. In […]
Seattle monorail shut down through April 30 Seattle’s monorail has shut down for the remainder of April as part of a renovation to prepare for the arrival of the city’s new National Hockey League team, the Kraken, which will debut this fall. KNKX Radio reports the work on the 1-mile line, connecting downtown’s Westlake Center […]
Scottsbluff, Neb., BNSF building sustains $3 million damage in fire A fire in the terminal building at BNSF’s facility in Alliance, Neb., is reported to have caused about $3 million in damage. The Scottsbluff Star-Herald reports the Alliance Volunteer Fire Department responded to the building Sunday about 12:20 p.m., had the fire “somewhat controlled” around […]
