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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois lawmakers have introduced a bill to restructure Chicago area transit agencies — but the bill does not address the $770 million shortfall that could lead to significant cuts in service. Streetsblog Chicago reports that on Wednesday, an existing bill regarding rules for bicyclists at stop signs, has, through amendment, been replaced […]
CHICAGO — Union Pacific is seeking to nearly double track access fees for Metra commuter trains on lines in the Chicago area, according to a federal lawsuit. The costs would more than double when other fees are included. In an amended complaint filed Tuesday in a lawsuit filed earlier this year, Metra says it had […]
SAN DIEGO — The effort to relocate the Surf Line rail route through Del Mar, Calif. — or not — is once again soliciting public comment. The San Diego Association of Governments will host a meeting on the latest set of proposals for line relocation — including one option that would leave the route where […]
MIAMI — The finances of Brightline’s Florida operation have produced cautionary action by bond-rating agencies on Wall Street, which have downgraded the company’s bonds and notes over concerns about its ability to service its debt. The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports in a paywalled article that Fitch Group and Kroll Bond Rating Agency downgraded more […]
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 and the railroad’s diesel honoring Abraham Lincoln will make a round trip between Cheyenne and Denver in July, with a public whistle-stop appearance in Greeley, Colo., in each direction. The railroad will also auction off four cab rides to support the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in […]
Mexico’s Maya Train — built to attract tourists to sites on the Yucatan Peninsula — has little chance of becoming profitable without the development of freight traffic on the route, the operation’s general director said this month. The news site Infobae reports that, at a seminar of the Mexican Railway Association earlier this month, Gen. […]
How much a railroad charges to move freight depends largely upon the weight of the cargo. Large shippers maintain in-plant track scales and weigh each car — knowing the weight simplifies the paperwork involved in billing the shipment Other shippers rely on the railroad’s own track scales, which are usually located along a through yard […]
CHICAGO — Sellouts in coach and high prices in sleeping cars, if space is available at all, are the rule rather than exception in a News Wire survey of Amtrak long-distance trains as summer arrives. Travelers will often face limited inventory for the rest of the summer despite marginal increases in equipment deployment. In a […]
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada workers represented by Canadian union Unifor have authorized a strike that could come as soon as June 22, the union announced Monday, May 26. Some 97.5% of workers represented by Unifor Council 4000 and Local 100 voted in favor of strike authorization. “This strike vote is not just a number […]
Railroads spend a lot of time worrying about clearances. One low bridge or a narrow tunnel will limit the kinds of cars able to move across that line. To sort out which cars can operate on a given line, the Association of American Railroads categorizes freight cars based on their outside dimensions. The AAR cross-section […]
A look at international rail news of note: ‘Locomotion’ set for Greatest Gathering Locomotion No. 1, the first steam locomotive to operate on a public railway, has been added to the equipment slated to appear at ‘The Greatest Gathering,’ the three-day festival of historic equipment that is part of the United Kingdom’s Railway 200 celebration. […]
BOSTON — Spring-like weather remains elusive for much of the northern U.S. But operationally, summer has arrived for commuter rail systems. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and its contract commuter operator, Keolis, on Friday (May 23) launched the seasonal CapeFlyer train between Boston and Cape Cod. The first day of Friday-Saturday-Sunday-holiday service came a day […]
