LOS ANGELES — The firestorm devastating Southern California is, inevitably, affecting rail operations. Metrolink has suspended operations today (Thursday, Jan. 9) on its Antelope Valley Line between Lancaster and Vista Canyon because of firefighting activity, the operator reports. The suspension is until further notice. According to a Los Angeles Times map, the Lidia fire, at […]
TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling for development of a freight rail bypass to the west of Toronto that he says would allow “significant, longer-term expansion” of GO Transit commuter rail service in the region. In a letter today (Jan. 9, 2025) to the chairman of provincial transit agency Metrolinx, posted on X.com, […]
ORLANDO — The SunRail commuter service, funded and operated by Florida’s Department of Transportation since its opening in 2014, is locally funded as of Jan. 1. Spectrum News reports the local members of the governing Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission — Volusia, Seminole, Orange, and Osceola counties, and the city of Orlando — authorized the […]
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators will attempt to close security gaps on the U.S. rail system for exports destined for Mexico and Canada through a new rulemaking by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The proposed rule, posted Wednesday, Jan. 8., would require the electronic transmission of rail export cargo manifest data, including an initial filing 24 […]
WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic showed a slight uptick over 2024 in the first report from the Association of American Railroads for 2025. Overall volume for the week ending Jan. 4 was 421,410 carloads and intermodal units, a 1% increase over the first week a year ago. That included 198,500 carloads, down 4.6%, and […]
SACRAMENTO — The state of California has unveiled a $310 billion plan to expand the state’s rail network to increase its share of passenger travel from 2% to 20% by 2050 through a network featuring extensive electrification and zero-emission operations. The new State Rail Plan was announced Jan. 7 by Gov. Gavin Newsom. It envisions […]
ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Train Dispatchers Association has ratified a new national agreement with the National Carriers Conference Committee, the national bargaining group for major U.S. railroads. The agreement announced today (Jan. 8, 2025) is the fourth to be ratified, following deals with the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, Transportation Communications Union, and […]
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The city of Columbia will receive $204 million in federal funding for a downtown grade-crossing separation project, the Columbia Post & Courier reports. The newspaper was informed of the grant by U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). The funding will be used to eliminate grade crossings on Assembly Street, a major downtown thoroughfare […]
BIG STONE GAP, Va. – A three-week exhibition of railroad watercolors and photographs by author and Trains contributor Ron Flanary is scheduled to begin Jan. 17 on the campus of Mountain Empire Community College. Titled “The Tracks of my Years,” the display of 30 pieces consists of about two-thirds photos and one-third paintings, all made […]
PORT CLINTON, PA. — Almost 340,000 riders took part in Reading & Northern excursions in 2024, surpassing the previous mark of more than 322,000 in 2023 by 5%, the railroad has announced. The year included the opening of the new Nesquehoning Regional Railroad Station on the railroad’s Nesquehoning campus, which includes the railroad’s new shops […]
CLEVELAND — A Cleveland man arrested in 2023 for allegedly attempting to derail trains has been sentenced to two years in federal prison and three years of probation. Joseph Findley, 43, had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of violence against railroad carriers. He was arrested in October 2023 after allegedly wedging spikes into switches […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has announced a new set of weather-related train cancellations, this time in connection with a storm expected to hit Texas and the South beginning tonight (Wednesday, Jan. 8). A relatively small number of trains today through Friday, Jan. 10, are affected. On the Pacific Coast, Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliner cancellations are […]
