Lawsuit seeks to overturn Nashville transit plan approved by voters

Commuter train with purple and silver locomotive

NASHVILLE — A group opposing a transit improvement plan passed by Nashville voters earlier this month has filed suit seeking to overturn the results, arguing the plan includes projects not allowed under the state law governing the referendum. The Nashville Tennessean reports that the lawsuit was filed Wednesday, Nov. 27, by members of the Committee […]

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FTA issues safety advisory on transit street running

Purple and silver light rail train rounds 90-degree curve

WASHINGTON — A safety advisory issued this week by the Federal Transit Administration is asking agencies overseeing transit operators to look more closely at street-running rail operations, noting the heightened risk of incidents including fatalities. The advisory issued on Monday, Nov. 25, notes that the number of incidents at street intersection grade crossings are about […]

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T-Trak Fun Run across the Colorado Plains

Trains.com staff set out to prove they could build out a layout one square foot at a time! Now that most of their T-Trak modules are completed, it’s due time to have some fun running trains around Model Railroader magazine’s latest project layout, the N scale (1:160) “Colorado Plains”, as featured in the January 2025 […]

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Season arrives for commuter, transit holiday trains

EMU trainset with holiday lights at sunset

Increasingly, the holiday season is also a team for brightly decorated trains on major commuter and transit systems. The New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco areas will all see such trains this year, including a new train on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Metro North Railroad, and Metra trains with more elaborate decorations. Here’s […]

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VIA move against CN with Canadian regulator stalls

Passenger and freight train meet at junction

MONTREAL — In a move similar to Amtrak’s efforts to address issues with host railroads with the Surface Transportation Board, VIA Rail Canada has asked the Canadian Transportation Agency to impose a new track access agreement with Canadian National Railway. But VIA’s filing, made in June 2023, has gone nowhere, the Canadian Press reports, in […]

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First arch now in place on New Jersey’s Portal North Bridge

View of bridge under construction with tugboat in foreground

KEARNY, N.J. — The first of three massive arches that are part of the new Portal North Bridge has arrived by barge and been lifted into place at the construction site on the Hackensack River, a significant advance in the project to replace the current structure, a long-time operational headache on the Northeast Corridor. Three […]

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Amtrak names new head of strategy and planning

Head shot of woman standing in front of American flag

WASHINGTON — Jennifer Mitchell has been appointed as Amtrak’s executive vice president of strategy and planning, the company announced Tuesday (Nov. 26). Amtrak says Mitchell will be responsible for setting the company’s long-term strategic vision and managing planning, infrastructure access, state partner, network development, and host railroad duties. Her transportation career most recently includes serving […]

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Fire damages Amtrak equipment at Washington yard

Locomotive surrounded by flames

WASHINGTON — At least one locomotive appears to have suffered significant damage in a fire late Monday night at Amtrak’s Ivy City Maintenance Facility in Washington, D.C. DC Fire and EMS Department, in posts on X.com, reported responding with units including foam equipment to a fire possibly involving diesel fuel at the yard about 11:10 […]

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MBTA removes last slow orders on Red Line

Subway station with crews working on track and platform

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s recent maintenance shutdown of a portion of the Red Line has cleared the route of slow orders for the first time in at least 20 years, the MBTA says. The work between the Harvard and Broadway stations Nov. 17-23, and between Harvard and JFK/UMass on Nov. 24, allowed […]

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Denver airport, Alstom renew contract for people mover

White airport peoplemover with rubber tires

DENVER — Denver International and Alstom have signed a seven-year contract for Alstom to continue operation and maintenance of the airport’s People Mover system. The contract, effective Jan. 1, 2024 and valued at approximately $228 million, maintains the employment of 91 Alstom employees. Under the contract, Alstom provides 24-hour-a-day maintenance and operations for the vehicle […]

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