NJ Transit train No. 5441 loads passengers at Newark Penn Station on March 13, 2019. NJ Transit’s first class to address its shortage of locomotive engineers has completed classroom training and could be operating trains by this fall. Ralph Spielman NEWARK. N.J. — In the midst of its 2018 issues with cancelled trains because of […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak has revised its plans for the return of California Zephyr service along the train’s full route, now aiming for April 4 as the date for the restablishment of service. The train has not been operating east of Denver because of flooding in the Midwest. The passenger carrier had originally set today (April […]
The MTA EzPass, to be used for New York’s congestion pricing, is already in use by 95 percent of those using toll bridges and tunnels to reach New York City. Ralph Spielman NEW YORK — Patrick Foye’s first public event as chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a Monday news conference, provided the first insight […]
LONDON — Frequent UK rail passengers short of pocket might be relieved to know that nationwide rail company, Network Rail, has flushed charges for public toilets in stations it operates. The BBC reports that Liverpool Street and King’s Cross stations in London and Edinburgh’s Waverley Cross station now have free, public toilets. These are among […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — Buffalo’s light rail system will receive $100 million over the next five years for infrastructure improvements, the Buffalo News reports. The money — plus another $6 million for engineering studies on a possible addition to the 35-year-old, 6.4-mile Metro Rail line — was part of a deal reached Saturday night between Gov. […]
WOODLAND PARK, N.J. — Metro-North and NJ Transit have been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for safety violations between 2013 and 2018, and stand as the most-cited violators of federal regulations among commuter rail operations, NorthJersey.com reports. The news organization and its parent, the USA Today Network, base the report on analysis of six […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York legislators on Sunday passed a state budget for 2020 which will dramatically change traveling within New York City, introducing “congestion pricing” fees for drivers in Central or Lower Manhattan to fund improvements by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The budget of more than $175 billion also includes new taxes on sales […]
WASHINGTON—In addition to its “Equipment Asset Line Plan” [see “Amtrak fleet plan would replace Amfleet I cars, prepare for replacement Superliners,” Trains News Wire, March 25, 2019], Amtrak this week released companion five-year plans dealing with the following categories (click on each for the documents): Infrastructure Stations Transportation assets Service lines (Northeast Corridor, state-supported, and […]
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, […]
