The rerouted Californiz Zephyr passes through Nelson, Ill., on Union Pacific’s Geneva Subdivision on March 23, 2019. Initially rerouted because of flooding, the train has not operated east of Denver since March 26, but service is being restored as of April 1. John Troxler OMAHA, Neb. — Beginning with trips originating in Emeryville, Calif., on […]
TORONTO — GO Transit is expanding service on its Stouffville and Kitchener lines, with changes effective April 8. On the Stouffville line, five midday trains in each direction will serve the Centennial, Markham, and Mount Joy GO stations on weekdays. On the Kitchener line, a new rush-hour trip will originate at the Bramalea GO station […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has sold a little-used route between Danbury, Conn., and Beacon, N.Y., for conversion in to a rail trail. The conversion will come in the next three years, through a state-funded, $33.6-million design-build contract awarded to Arch Associates LLC, in concert with rail trail design firm McLaren. The MTA […]
GATINEAU, Quebec — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has issued a safety advisory letter in response to two incidents in which VIA Rail Canada trains were damaged by materials placed along Canadian National’s right-of-way in preparation for track work. The letter, dated March 25 but announced Thursday, suggests “Canadian National, in conjunction with VIA, […]
SCRANTON, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority has been awarded a $400,000 grant for engineering costs associated with restoration of the Lackawanna Cutoff, already under construction in New Jersey. The Local Share Account grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority covers engineering costs for construction of track and structures for the passenger rail project. […]
A Metra Milwaukee West train arrives at the Roselle station in January 2019. Roselle will be one of the 59 stations hosting a Metra “Safety Blitz” in 2019, with Metra employees offering safety information at the station on the morning of April 16. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — Metra is planning Operation Lifesaver “Safety Blitzes” […]
An inbound Metra Rock Island train passes the Robbins flagstop station in December 2018. Metra is developing a policy that would require an assessment of station use every two years, as well as establishing procedures for communities to request new stations. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — Metra is developing a plan to assess stations throughout […]
NEWARK — Harsh realities have overtaken New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s second year at the helm of the nation’s most densely populated state, at least as far as the NJ Transit budget is concerned. The website NJspotlight.com reports that the practice of using capital funds to help pay for daily operations — a practice of […]
TORONTO — The province of Ontario has claimed costs for two major transit projects in Toronto have almost or more than doubled, a claim the city denies. The claim by the province, which wants to take over Toronto’s subway system, came in a letter to the city from an advisor on the takeover plan, the […]
Work continues on the first phase of LA Metro’s overhaul of its Blue Line, oldest in the light rail system. This work is near the Pacific Coast Highway station in Long Beach. LA Metro LA Metro’s overhaul of its Blue Line is taking place in two phases, each closing half the system. Work is scheduled […]
SEATTLE — Positive train control is now fully operational on the route of the Amtrak Cascades, the Washington state Department of Transportation has announced. However, there is still no date for returning Cascades trains to the Point Defiance bypass south of Tacoma, Wash. Seattle TV station KIRO reports PTC equipment is now in place from […]
WASHINGTON — While it is less than a definitive document, Amtrak has outlined its five-year plan for its equipment fleet, indicating the locomotives and cars it aims to replace or refurbish, as well as indications of how it would use that fleet. Amtrak’s “Five Year Equipment Asset Line Plan,” issued last week, is presented as […]
