Durango & Silverton restores full operations

A Durango & Silverton train in Silverton, Colo., in October 2018.


DURANGO, Colo. — Full Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad service to Silverton, Colo., will resume today (Friday, June 28), the railroad announced Thursday afternoon. Service to Silverton, the railroad’s northern endpoint, has been suspended since the morning of June 22, when a rock slide was discovered that had covered the tracks at milepost 485.9, […]

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Virginia Museum of Transportation board members resign

Logo of the Virginia Museum of Transportation

ROANOKE, Va. — Six members of the Virginia Museum of Transportation board of directors have resigned, WDBJ-TV reports. The group submitted letters of resignation at the board’s annual meeting last week. It reportedly included several of those who led the museum’s excursion efforts, leading to speculation about future plans for the steam program with Norfolk […]

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Appropriators proposal trims Amtrak fiscal 2025 budget: Analysis

Passenger train passing boarded-up two-story station

WASHINGTON — The process that determines how much money Amtrak will receive for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2024, began Wednesday with release of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Committee’s “Department of Transportation Appropriation Act of 2025.” Funding levels for the U.S. DOT and its related highway, rail, and […]

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Federal court orders FRA to allow BNSF Railway to expand track inspection program

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court has ordered the Federal Railroad Administration to allow BNSF Railway to expand its automated track inspection program while simultaneously reducing the frequency of traditional visual inspections. Railroads are permitted unlimited use of automated track inspection systems that rely on lasers and other technology to find track geometry defects. But […]

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VRE to eliminate youth fares as of July 1

Commuter train at station with bridge connecting platforms on each side of tracks

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Virginia Railway Express will eliminate fares for riders 18 and under as part of fare adjustments effective July 1. Adult passengers on the commuter service will see a fare increase of approximately 5%, the first raise in ticket prices since 2019. That will translate to an increase of approximately 65 cents for […]

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Durango & Silverton disruption from rock slide continues

View of rock slide in mountains blocking railroad trains

DURANGO, Colo. — Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad service to Silverton, Colo., remains suspended as a result of a rock slide last week, according to an update on the railroad’s website. The heritage railroad had hoped to be able to restore service by midweek after a slide discovered on Saturday, June 22, covered the […]

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Weekly U.S. rail traffic remains ahead of 2023 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal traffic

WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic remained up compared to 2023 according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads, with intermodal traffic continuing to account for the overall growth. For the week ending June 22, total traffic was 485,557 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.6% compared to the corresponding week […]

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Little money for rail in 2024 RAISE grants (updated)

Blue, teal, and white diesel multiple-unit passenger train arrives at station platform

WASHINGTON — Rail projects received a miniscule amount of the $1.8 billion in 2024 Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants announced Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Although 148 projects were awarded funding for construction or planning, most of the money was directed to street realignment to enhance safety for motorists, […]

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