BOSTON — A failure in a counterpin, a small switch part, led to the derailment of a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Red Line train on March 23, MBTA CEO Phillip Eng told a meeting of the agency’s board on Thursday. WCVB-TV reports the failure of that small pin allowed a larger pin connecting to a […]
CHICAGO — Three cars making their first appearance will highlight the tours of Pullman-built railcars offered as part of Pullman Railroad Days, set for June 1-2 at Pullman National Historic Park. Dover Harbor, built in 1923, is the only heavyweight car still in an original Pullman configuration that is fully operational for use on Amtrak […]
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill calling for a study to extend rail passenger service from Portland, Maine, to Bangor, via Lewiston, Auburn, and Waterville, was defeated this week in the state’s House of Representatives, CentralMaine.com reports. In a Wednesday vote, LD 860 was defeated 82-63, a week after the state Senate had approved the legislation […]
FAIRFIELD, Conn. — In a move to address a longstanding source of confusion, the Fairfield Metro station on Metro-North’s New Haven Line will be renamed Fairfield-Black Rock, local and Connecticut Department of Transportation officials have announced. The station in question, which opened in December 2011, is approximately 1.7 miles northeast of the downtown Fairfield station. Commuters […]
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — A former Caltrain official, as well as a former contractor for the commuter agency, are facing felony charges after allegedly spending public funds to secretly build themselves small apartments inside two of the agency’s train stations, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Joseph Vincent Navarro, 66, formerly of the Bay Area […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has named the inaugural members of its Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, which will help the board address issues affecting passenger rail service. More than 90 people had been nominated or nominated themselves to serve under a range of categories [see “STB passenger advisory committee has no shortage of nominees,” […]
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A study on the potential return of passenger service to Allentown, Pa., by Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation and consulting firm WSP was released Wednesday, narrowing from 12 to five the potential routes such service might take. The full 60-page study, available here, provides a roadmap for the process it would take to […]
SARNIA, Ontario — Fourteen cars of a Canadian National train, including three tank cars carrying liquified petroleum gas, have derailed this morning as the train entered the railroad’s Sarnia yard, CKNX Radio reports. No leaks have been reported. At least one grade crossing, at St. Andrew Street, has been blocked by the derailment. No other […]
TORONTO — Siemens Mobility has been awarded a contract by Ontario transportation agency Metrolinx to handle track, signal, and right-of-way maintenance for the Central Region of Toronto’s passenger rail infrastructure system, Siemens has announced. Siemens already has a similar contract in the West Region and handles signal and communications services at the Metrolinx Network Operations. […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Corp. will make a $10 million contribution to Jacksonville’s Museum of Science & History, or MOSH, and will be recognized as the presenting sponsor of the museum as it relocates to a new Northbank site on the St. Johns River in the city’s downtown. “We are immensely grateful to CSX for […]
WASHINGTON — Once again carried by intermodal traffic, weekly U.S. rail volume remained above 2023 levels for the ninth straight week, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending March 23, total traffic was 470,593 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.1% compared to the corresponding week a year earlier. The […]
DENVER — The Regional Transportation District will temporarily cut light rail service to one train per hour on some lines as of May 26, the Denver Post reports, saying the reduced frequencies are necessary to address maintenance that has been deferred, but risking abandonment for cars by riders who have that option. Many of the […]
