Ridership remains strong at Brightline’s new stations

Train at station in area with construction

MIAMI — Brightline’s new stations in Boca Raton and Aventura continue to be a boon to ridership. Miami Today reports the two stations, which opened in late December, contributed 27% of the passenger carrier’s total ridership in January, according to Brightline’s monthly ridership and revenue report. The two handled 42,391 of the 157,137 total riders; […]

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Weather leads to cancellations for Southwest Chief, Empire Builder

Passenger train leaves rooster tail of snow as it runs on three-track main line

CHICAGO — Weather is taking its toll on current operations of Amtrak’s western long-distance trains. According to the Amtrak Alerts Twitter feed, the eastbound Chief scheduled to depart Los Angeles today (Wednesday, Feb. 22) has been cancelled due to severe weather conditions, while the westbound Chief that left Chicago on Tuesday, Feb. 21, will terminate […]

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Trains Magazine to host Alaska tour in September

Train with mountains in distance

Join Trains for an exclusive tour of Alaska tour! To mark the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Alaska Railroad, Trains Magazine, in conjunction with Special Interest Tours, announces an all-inclusive tour of Alaska Sept. 9-17. Highlights include five rail segments aboard Alaska Railroad passenger trains, a shop tour and briefing on the restoration […]

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O and S gauge building flats round-up

O and S gauge building flats Menards Patriot Lighting

Classic Toy Trains’ O and S gauge building flats round-up showcases manufacturers producing low-profile structures. These building flats mimic a full-size building but are generally only an inch or two deep. They may fit against a backdrop, or, if large enough, may actually be the backdrop. Modelers can use these at the edge of a […]

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Washington state legislature considers train-length bill

Mean standing near railroad tracks as train approaches

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The state of Washington has joined the list of those considering legislation to limit the length of freight trains. The Columbia Basin Herald reports that state’s House Transportation Committee heard testimony Tuesday on House Bill 1839, by Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos (D-Seattle), that would limit the length of trains operating within the […]

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Empire Builder encountered track defect before fatal Montana derailment

Still from locomotive on-board camera, with red square higlighting track defect

WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s Empire Builder ran through a track misalignment in a curve — distinctly visible in a still from the lead locomotive’s onboard camera — just before its September 2021 derailment in Joplin, Mont., according to information contained in more than 3,100 pages of documents released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The […]

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