NEW HAVEN, Conn. — CTRail’s Shore Line East commuter service will resume a full schedule on Monday, Aug. 5, following more than a year of reduced schedules and bus substitutions during a major track-work project. The service between New Haven and New London, Conn., was curtailed beginning April 23, 2018, the CT Examiner reports, with […]
Type of Train: Passenger/Transit
Maryland withholding funds from DC Metro in ongoing dispute NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Maryland is withholding $56 million for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in an ongoing funding dispute, the Washington Post reports. DC Metro General Manager has sent Maryland officials a letter asking them to release the funds, saying the agency’s credit rating could be damaged. The money was supposed to be released July […]
West Virginia’s New River excursion to return under new management NEWSWIRE
The 2015 New River Train at Hawks Nest, W.Va. Chase Gunnoe HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – One of the east’s most legendary main line excursion trains is coming back this fall. On Friday, Rail Excursion Management Co. will announce that it is bringing back the annual passenger excursion along the New River between Huntington and Hinton, West […]
Amtrak to provide partial match to Oregon ‘Cascades’ grant request NEWSWIRE
Morning Amtrak Cascades No. 500 heads north near Salem, Ore., in June 2015. Amtrak has pledged funds in support of an Oregon effort to secure a federal grant to add a passing siding on the Cascades route south of Portland, Ore. Bob Johnston OREGON CITY, Ore. — Amtrak has pledged to contribute $750,000 to a […]
‘Berkshire Flyer’ to start running in 2020 between NYC and Massachusetts
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Flyer, a two-year pilot program to provide “one seat” passenger service from New York City to Berkshire County in Massachusetts, will move ahead, as funding for the program was included in the state’s budget signed into law Wednesday. The program will receive “not less than $270,000” for its inaugural year, […]
MTA, tech firms launch pilot programs for new subway technology NEWSWIRE
One of two new technologies to be tested by the New York subway system will measure station crowding, allowing the MTA to deploy more workers where needed. Ralph Spielman NEW YORK — New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority will begin year-long pilot programs with two technology companies to improve subway service. Axon Vibe will offer a […]
LA Metro board approves plans for improvements on Metrolink’s Antelope Valley line NEWSWIRE
LOS ANGELES — The LA Metro board has approved plans to upgrade service on Metrolink’s Antelope Valley Line, which carries about 7,000 passengers daily. The Santa Clarita Signal reports that the board approved a study which recoomended three changes to the 76.6-mile line, which currently offers 15 round trips on weekdays. Recommendations included adding one […]
MBTA chief discusses challenges, progress NEWSWIRE
MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority MBTA MPI HSP-46 No. 2028 pushes Worcester, Mass.-Boston South Station train No. 520, as it departs Yawkey station in the Kenmore Square section of Boston. Scott A. Hartley Steve Poftak, a Boston native, became general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority on Jan. 1, 2019, […]
Metra to upgrade 95th Street station NEWSWIRE
CHICAGO — Metra plans to renovate its Electric District station at 95th Street, serving Chicago State University, with the goal of boosting ridership and creating a transit hub. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the commuter railroad has agreed to a “memorandum of understanding” with the university to build a new platform, stair enclosure, elevator, and […]
CP puts damper on plans for more ‘Hiawathas’
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s plans for increasing Chicago-Milwaukee Amtrak Hiawatha service may not be as close to fruition as state officials have believed. Canadian Pacific Railway, the host railroad for much of the Hiawatha route, has released a letter to the state’s rail program manager saying it will not support additional service without additional improvements […]
MARC, VRE see drop in on-time performance, cite increased CSX traffic NEWSWIRE
MP36PH-36, No. 21 shoves an MARC train eastbound past CSX’s WB Tower at Brunswick, Md., in April 2011. MARC and VRE trains serving Washington are experiencing significant drops in on-time performance and say CSX freight traffic is a major factor. Scott A. Hartley WASHINGTON — The two commuter railroads serving the Washington area are experiencing […]
Metra, Libertyville open remodeled station NEWSWIRE
Libertyville, Ill., has opened its remodeled Metra station, shown late in the construction process in June 2019. TRAINS: David Lassen The station has undergone a significant makeover from its previous version, shown in 2015. TRAINS: David Lassen LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. — Village and Metra officials celebrated the completion of renovation of Metra’s Libertyville station on Friday, […]