SEATTLE — The National Transportation Safety Board wasn’t stingy in handing out criticisms or recommendations for changes in the aftermath of the December 2017 Amtrak Cascades derailment, so those on the receiving end have a lot of work ahead of them figuring out if and how they’ll respond to the safety board. For the Washington […]
The westbound Southwest Chief passes through Brookfield, Ill., on May 15, 2019. Chief service is temporarily suspended in Kansas because of a BNSF route closure. TRAINS: David Lassen KANSAS City, Mo. — Amtrak has temporarily suspended service on its Missouri River Runner between Kansas City and St. Louis, and on the Southwest Chief between Kansas […]
WASHINGTON — DC Metro has pulled almost 300 railcars from service after a set of doors on one car opened while a train was in motion. The 286 cars of Metro’s 3000 series, built by Breda and delivered in 1987, represent about 15 percent of the transit system’s fleet. They will remain out of service until […]
YORKVILLE, Ill. — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposal for a six-year, $41.5-billion infrastructure program in the state includes $100 million for the expansion of Metra service into Kendall County, the Kendall County Record reports. A total of $3.4 billion in the plan is for transit projects, the Chicago Tribune reported earlier this week, with $2.9 […]
A view of the wreckage of derailed Amtrak Cascades Train 501 on Dec. 18, 2017. Steve Carter WASHINGTON — The conclusion of an investigation into a 2017 Amtrak Cascades derailment has touched off a debate over the safety of non-conventional trainsets. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday that the Talgo equipment’s lightweight design was […]
Orlando International Airport station platforms await tracks on Jan. 30, 2018. Virgin Trains USA has announced the contractor who will complete trackwork at the airport, as well as those responsible for construction elsewhere on the company’s route between Orlando and West Palm Beach, Fla. Bob Johnston MIAMI — Virgin Trains USA, formerly Brightline, has named […]
MESA, Ariz. — Valley Metro has opened the latest extension of its light rail system, a 1.9-mile addition that adds two stations in Mesa. With Saturday’s opening of the Gilbert Road extension, the transit agency now operates 28 miles of light rail in Mesa, Tempe, and Phoenix. Work began on the $184 million extension in […]
A New York subway No. 1 train arrives at the South Ferry station in May. The subway system reported improvements in on-time performance and other key metrics for April. Ralph Spielman NEW YORK — On-time performance continues to improve on Metropolitan Transportation Authority rail operations, with New York City subways, Metro-North, and the Long Island […]
NEW YORK — Siemens executives have said they will provide any resources that are required for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to meet positive train control deadlines, addressing ongoing concerns over the performance of the company, a key contractor in the MTA’s PTC system. MTA Chairman Patrick Foye reported that declaration during Monday’s meeting of […]
A man reads a book on the main level of a Budd-built Tubular coach while people relax in the smoking lounge above and behind him. Note the dark-colored ramp up to the end door. The train entered regular service on the Pennsylvania Railroad in June 1956 on the New York–Washington Keystone. Pennsylvania Railroad photo […]
An inbound Metra BNSF train stops at the Route 59 station in Aurora, Ill. Metra’s board has approved spending $4.7 million in federal funds to study extension of the BNSF line beyond Aurora into Kendall County, Ill. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — A longstanding effort to extend Metra’s BNSF line service beyond Aurora, Ill., west […]
MINNEAPOLIS — Metro Transit will end around-the-clock service on one light rail line, the agency announced Friday, after five years of 24-hour operation. Beginning in August, the Green Line will shut down from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. on weekdays, while continuing 24-hour service on weekends, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. That will leave only LA […]
