NEW ORLEANS — Amtrak will apply for a federal grant that, if approved by the Federal Railroad Administration, would pay for 80% of a study of track and station improvements necessary to extend a section of the New York-New Orleans Crescent between Meridian, Miss., and Fort Worth, Texas. Nicole Bucich, Amtrak’s vice president of network […]
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Amtrak Cascades day trip to Portland, Oregon
An Amtrak Cascades day trip to Portland, Oregon is a great way to visit Portland, from Seattle in Washington State. Three daily southbound departures from Seattle provide access to Portland. For the purpose of this day trip review, this article recommends southbound Cascades train No. 503 departing from Seattle’s King Street Station each day at […]
Amtrak Missouri River Runner day trip to Springfield, Illinois
Exploring Illinois’ vast history and the interconnectedness of the state and railroads, there are fewer options better than an Amtrak Missouri River Runner day trip from iconic Chicago Union Station, the capital of American railroading, to the state’s capital city of Springfield and return. Each day, the Missouri River Runner departs from Union Station, located […]
White Pass & Yukon Route profile
The White Pass and Yukon Route’s 67.5 route miles make it the longest-operating narrow-gauge railroad in North America. More importantly, virtually every one of those miles is knockout beautiful—a potpourri of lakes, rivers, and snow-capped mountains. Completed in 1900, the railroad was built to link the Yukon and other booming gold-mining districts with tidewater at […]
MBTA imposes systemwide speed restriction on rail transit network
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority instituted an immediate 25-mph speed restriction across its rapid-transit Red, Orange, Blue, and Green lines as of Thursday night following findings by the state’s Department of Public Utilities. The MBTA announced the restrictions about 10 p.m., the Boston Globe reports, after a visit to the Red Line between […]
Long Island Rail Road to switch four trains from Grand Central Madison to Penn Station
NEW YORK — Continuing to adjust its recently introduced schedule to address demand for service at Penn Station, the Long Island Rail Road will shift four trains from Grand Central Madison to Penn beginning Monday, March 13. Four other trains will have stops added to their schedules. Morning rush-hour trains will see the 5:42 a.m. […]
Brightline West, construction unions in California, Nevada reach agreement
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Brightline West, the planned high speed rail service between Las Vegas and Southern California, has announced agreements with buildings trades groups in California and Southern Nevada to ensure the rail project is built with union labor. The memorandum of understanding with the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California and […]
Biden budget proposal includes $4.45 billion for 18 major transit projects
WASHINGTON — Eighteen major projects in 11 states have been recommended for some $4.45 billion in construction funding as part of President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2024 Budget Request to Congress, the Federal Transit Administration has announced. This includes nine projects that would receive federal funding for the first time. Two rail projects are among those […]
STB names nine members to Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has named nine new members to its Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee, which advises the board on issues regarding rail movement of coal, ethanol and other biofuels, and other energy resources. Newly appointed are: — Adam Anderson, CEO of Western Fuels Association, appointed as a representative of private railcar […]
AAR urges railroads to sideline new cars that may have caused NS derailment in Springfield, Ohio
WASHINGTON — In the wake of a Norfolk Southern derailment in Springfield, Ohio, railroads should take certain new steel coil cars out of service until their wheelsets can be replaced, the Association of American Railroads says. “Yesterday, Norfolk Southern identified loose wheels on a series of cars that presents an increased risk of an out […]
Norfolk Southern train derails in Alabama
PIEDMONT, Ala. — Thirty-seven cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed this morning (Thursday, March 9) in rural Calhoun County near the town of Piedmont, shortly before the railroad’s CEO began testimony before Congress on the railroad’s derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. No hazardous materials were involved in the Alabama incident, which occurred about 6:50 […]
BNSF Railway reaches paid sick time agreements with three more unions
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has reached paid sick time agreements with three more unions. The railway said today that it reached agreements with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW); the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS); and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Mechanical and Engineering Department […]