Metrolink CEO Stephanie Wiggins. Photo courtesy of USC/Brian Morri A Metrolink Ventura County Line train arrives at the Burbank Airport station on Feb. 12, 2019. TRAINS: David Lassen The Trains Interview with Metrolink CEO Stephanie Wiggins in the June 2019 issue is, unavoidably, significantly abridged from the conversation in February at Metrolink’s headquarters in downtown […]
Inbound and outbound trains on the MBTA’s Middlesborough/Lakeville line meet in Braintree, Mass., in 2010. A project to extend the line to New Bedford and Fall River, Mass., has cleared major funding and permitting hurdles. Scott A. Hartley BOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has committed more than $1 billion in state bond funding for […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is taking new steps to try to identify hot axles after they were identified as a factor in two recent derailments. The MBTA has applied heat-sensitive tape to axles on the commuter railroad’s passenger coaches in hopes of spotting problems before axles fail, the Boston Herald reports. Keolis […]
A rendering of Moynihan Train Hall, looking east, shows the open central area with skylights providing natural light for above-ground spaces. Architecture and Interiors: FXCollaborative The 10,000-square-foot Metropolitan Lounge will provide fresh food and a bar with a large assortment of beverages, among other improvements over its predecessor at Penn Station. Architecture and Interiors: FXCollaborative […]
Side-by-side Tunnel Boring Machines begin their work from the La Brea station site on LA Metro’s Purple Line Extension on Oct. 15, 2018. Photo courtesy LA Metro LOS ANGELES — Sometime in June, the first of two giant tunnel boring machines will be lifted out of the ground under Wilshire Boulevard, having chomped through almost […]
A track worker hammers in spikes on a turnout. Steve Smedley Rusty track spikes near Canadian Pacific tracks at Brookfield, Wis, in 2012. Karl Riek The Golden Spike of the first transcontinental railroad was but one of millions in the nearly 2,000-mile route between Sacramento, Calif., and Omaha, Neb. Spikes date back to the first […]
WASHINGTON — Acting in what it said is “direct response to customer requests,” Amtrak is adding an additional Saturday Acela Express round trip on the Northeast Corridor beginning May 4. The additional service will have train No. 2252 departing Washington at 10:50 a.m. with arrival in New York at 1:53 p.m. and Boston at 5:58 […]
WASHINGTON — Companies bidding on a contract to build the next generation of railcars for Washington’s Metro system — a contract expected to be worth more than $1 billion — are being asked how they would spend some of the money in the region, an effort which could include building an assembly plant. The Washington […]
Excellent ski conditions and the addition of a lounge car helped increase ridership on the Winter Park Express in 2019. Justin Franz WINTER PARK, Colo. — More than 19,200 skiers and snowboarders rode Amtrak’s Winter Park Express this winter, a 7% increase over the train’s 2018 season and an 8% increase over its inaugural season […]
The interior of Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, shown in 2010, has been given historic status by the Philadelphia Historical Commission. Mitch Goldman PHILADELPHIA — The interior of Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station has been added to the local historic register by the Philadelphia Historical Commission, a move protecting the space from modification. It becomes just the […]
MINNEAPOLIS — Metro Transit broke its single-day light rail ridership record on April 8, the day of the NCAA basketball championship game in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the light rail system recorded more than 130,000 rides on the day Virginia beat Texas Tech for the NCAA title. The 130,896 rides broke the mark […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Even with a nifty track plan in hand, David isn’t quite finished with layout development. In this episode, he mulls over the operating scheme that he’ll use to keep the appropriate type and volume of traffic routing over the HO scale model railroad. […]
