LONDON — British passenger charter train operator and car leasing company West Coast Railways has announced it is suspending operation of the world-famous “Jacobite” train between Fort William and Mallaig on Scotland’s west coast, popularly known as the “Harry Potter train” for the train’s role in the popular movies. The decision, announced just a week […]
Type of Train: Passenger/Transit
Caltrain retires 32 gallery cars
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Caltrain has retired 32 of its bilevel gallery commuter railcars to make room for coming electrified equipment, sending them to Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit for storage until a buyer can be found, the agency has announced. The nearly 40-year-old cars were built in San Francisco by Nippon Sharyo and entered service […]
South Shore Line to resume train service through Double Track construction area
CHESTERTON, Ind. — South Shore Line rail service will resume between the Gary Metro Center and Dune Park stations on April 9, ending a bus substitution to accommodate construction for the Double Track Project that dates to February 2022, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District has announced. Initially, train service will operate using a schedule […]
Mexican president suggests Maya Train derailment may have been intentional
MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Tuesday suggested that Monday’s Maya Train derailment could have been intentional, while the candidate to succeed Lopez Obrador from the coalition including his party said the derailment will not affect her campaign. In his morning press conference, López Obrador said the incident was “strange,” Publimetro.com […]
MBTA Orange Line work leads to elimination of seven speed restrictions
BOSTON — A four-day shutdown of Massachusetta Bay Transportation Authority’s Orange Line between Jackson Square and North Station resulted in elimination of six speed restrictions, with a seventh removed over the weekend after the conclusion of the March 18-21 suspension of service, the MBTA reports. “I’m proud of the dedicated workforce that worked in a […]
Plans for private San Francisco-Los Angeles overnight sleeping car service revived
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — The company seeking to start a luxury sleeping car train between downtown San Francisco and Los Angeles Union station says it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Union Pacific “formalizing the parties’ negotiations toward a comprehensive final agreement” to begin operations by 2025. A press release issued by Dreamstar Lines […]
Maya Train experiences low-speed derailment
TIXKOKOB, Mexico — Mexico’s Maya Train experienced its first known derailment today (Monday, March 25), a low-speed incident when the last car of a four-car trainset apparently split a switch entering the Tixkokob station on the route between Campeche and Cancún. The derailment occurred about 9:30 a.m. with the train moving at about 10 kilometers […]
Stadler hydrogen trainset sets distance record
PUEBLO, Colo. — Stadler Rail’s hydrogen powered multiple-unit passenger trainset has set a record by traveling more than 1,700 miles without refueling or recharging. The FLIRT H2 trainset, destined for use on the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority’s Arrow service, covered 1,741.7 miles on the test loop at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo. The […]
MBTA Red Line train derails
BOSTON — A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Red Line train derailed this morning (Saturday, March 23) while changing tracks to accommodate a planned service shutdown, WCVB-TV reports. The incident occurred just before 6 a.m. near the Broadway station in South Boston and involved the first car of the trainset. Shuttle buses for a planned shutdown […]
Brightline bond document revises forecast for 2024 as monthly delivery steadies: Analysis
MIAMI — As the Spring Break surge approaches, Brightline continues to seek the right pricing strategy when operating 16 daily fixed-consist round trips between South Florida and Orlando, plus another two to handle early morning and late evening Miami-West Palm Beach travel. A password-protected, 2,044-page supplement to a “Preliminary limited remarketing memorandum relating to $770 […]
Port Authority approves project providing neighborhood access to Newark Airport station on Northeast Corridor
NEWARK, N.J. — The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has approved a project that will provide the ability for local residents to use the Newark Airport station on the Northeast Corridor, previously accessible only for NJ Transit and Amtrak passengers going to the airport. NorthJersey.com reports the Port Authority board this week […]
FTA proposes rules for track worker safety (updated)
WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has proposed rules to protect track workers for all transit agencies, the first such effort to propose minimum national standards for track maintenance safety. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking now available at the Federal Register would require transit agencies to create a protection program for personnel who work on […]