Lake State Railway unveils locomotive honoring Pere Marquette Railway

Dark blue, yellow, and white locomotive

SAGINAW, Mich. — Lake State Railway on Thursday (Aug. 21, 2025) unveiled a new heritage locomotive honoring the predecessor Pere Marquette Railway. Lake State Supervisor of Yard Operations Travis Vongrey, a second-generation railroader with the company, developed the concept and design for the “Spirit of Pere Marquette,” newly acquired SD70M No. 6437, one of eight […]

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Nova Scotia plans study of light rail, commuter rail options

Map of Halifax, Nova Scotia, area

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — The Nova Scotia government is planning to study the possibilities of developing light rail in Halifax and commuter rail in the area of the province’s largest city, which accounts for 63% of the Nova Scotia population. The government is seeking qualified consultants to carry out a rail feasibility study through a […]

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10 must-visit railfanning spots with heavy rail traffic

Commuter train passes end of intermodal train

Railfanning spots with heavy rail traffic can be a magnet for enthusiasts and casual observers. The constant parade of one train after another with minimal lulls in between is alluring — and a stark contrast to places where waiting on a single train for hours can feel like watching paint dry. For those who don’t […]

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FTA seeks changes to Capital Investment Grants program

Trains Washington Watch logo

WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration will seek to remove one of the environmental components from its Capital Investment Grants program, FTA administrator Marc Molinaro said today (Aug. 21, 2025). The revision will remove “social cost of carbon” calculations from the ratings criteria used to award those grants — the federal government’s largest program to […]

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Metra adding trains on BNSF, UP North lines

Silver and read locomotive on commuter train

CHICAGO — Metra will add service on its most-used route, the BNSF Line, and make changes to two of its Union Pacific lines in September, the commuter operator has announced. On the BNSF Line between Aurora, Ill., and Chicago, the schedule effective Sept. 8 will include two new morning inbound express trains and two afternoon […]

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Weekly U.S. rail traffic sees slight decline

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — After six weeks in positive territory, U.S. weekly rail traffic slipped slightly below 2024 levels during the week ending Aug. 16, 2025. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, traffic for the week was 512,970 carloads and intermodal unites, a drop of 0.7% from the same week a year ago. That […]

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House committee to investigate California high speed rail

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WASHINGTON — Members of the House of Representatives are launching a new investigation into federal funding for the California high-speed rail project, James Comer, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, announced Tuesday. Comer (R-Ky.) said in a press release that the committee wants to know if the California High-Speed Rail Authority “knowingly […]

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