McPHERSON, Kan. — Thirteen cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Sunday morning, starting a small grass fire and leading to a leak of denatured alcohol from two of the cars, KSN-TV reports. The derailment was reported about 9:40 a.m. McPherson Fire Chief TJ Wyssman told the station crews from Union Pacific, hazmat teams, and […]
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Start of expanded Altamont Corridor Express service pushed back
MODESTO, Calif. — Planned expansion of the Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail service into Stanislaus and Sacramento counties will be delayed by two years, with the first trains not running until 2026, the Modesto Bee reports. The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, which manages the service currently running between Stockton, Calif., and San Jose, attributes […]
STB names two members to railroad-shipper advisory council
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has named Richard Erstad and James (Leggett) Kitchin to the board’s Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council, the board announced Friday. Erstad, the vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Hawkins Inc., a chemical and ingredients company, joins the board representing small shippers. Kitchin, vice president for industrial products and coal […]
The Coast Starlight play opens March 13
Amtrak’s Coast Starlight runs daily from Los Angeles to Seattle, passing through some of the most beautiful scenery on the California coast and in the Pacific Northwest. Keith Bunin’s The Coast Starlight is a new play opening today, Monday, March 13, at New York’s Lincoln Center Theater that tracks the journey of six strangers on […]
Bearberry
Common name: Bearberry, kinnikinnick Latin name: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Plant type: Groundcover Plant size: 6″ high spreading to 3′ or more USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-7 Cultural needs: Moist, well drained, acidic soil; part shade or full sun Common bearberry is native to the US and Canada (as well as other continents) and is found in damp, […]
BNSF line in California closed by washout
WASCO, Calif. — BNSF’s main line on the Bakersfield Subdivision in the San Joaquin Valley has been closed by a washout, the railroad informed customers in an advisory on Saturday. The washout was reported about 1:30 p.m. PST near Wasco, about 27 miles northwest of Bakersfield. BNSF’s initial estimate to reopen the route between Bakersfield […]
Two injured as light rail train derails in Golden, Colo.
GOLDEN, Colo. — Two people were taken to a hospital with what were described as minor injuries after a Regional Transportation District light rail train derailed today at the Jefferson County Government Center in Golden. The RTD said in a press release that the first car of a W Line light rail train derailed about […]
Amtrak to resume Adirondack service in April, U.S. senators say
ALBANY, N.Y. — Amtrak’s long-idle New York-Montreal Adirondack service — the only train still not running after being suspended by the passenger operator at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — will resume operation in April, according to New York’s two U.S. senators. U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand made the announcement Friday afternoon, […]
New York’s MTA places first new subway cars into service
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s New York City Transit placed its first R211 subway cars into service on Friday, March 10, the first new additions to the New York subway fleet in five years. The Kawasaki-built R211 cars, placed into service on the A Line (8th Avenue Express), are the first in a […]
MBTA lifts blanket speed restriction, but many slow orders remain
BOSTON — Blanket 25-mph speed restrictions remain in place on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line and Mattapan Trolley Line, but have been lifted on the Red, Orange, and Blue lines, following a Thursday night announcement of the systemwide slow order. The Boston Globe reports the overall restriction was lifted by 10:30 a.m. today […]
Norfolk Southern reaches paid sick time agreements with two more unions
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has reached agreements with two more of its labor unions to provide their members with up to seven paid sick days per year. These agreements provide four new days of paid sick leave while also offering flexibility to use up to three additional days of existing paid time off as sick […]
Aspen Crossing profile
Aspen Crossing takes you back to a simpler time. Along a 14-mile, 2.5-hour train ride, passengers get to enjoy serene prairie views, pass historic wooden elevators, learn about the area’s agriculture and the railroad, or simply relax to the soothing sounds of the wheels to the rails. Choices In addition to regular excursions year-round, there […]