CLARENDON HILLS, Ill. — Authorities have identified 72-year-old Christina Lopez of Downers Grove, Ill., as the Metra passenger killed Wednesday in a grade-crossing accident between a Metra BNSF train and a stalled truck. WMAQ-TV reports that in a Thursday press conference, National Transportation Safety Board vice-chairman Bruce Landsberg said Lopez was killed when she was […]
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Railroading Heritage of Midwest America will restore the tender for Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014, the Union Pacific Historical Society learned Thursday at its annual meeting. Restoration of that tender will allow the tender currently used by the Big Boy to be rejoined with its original locomotive, Challenger No. 3985, which […]
CRESSON, Pa. – The Station Inn, a longtime railfan landmark bed & breakfast in western Pennsylvania, has been sold to Alex and Leah Lang of the Pittsburgh area. The inn’s founder, Tom Davis, died Oct. 5 [see “Station Inn owner Tom Davis, 90, dies,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 13, 2021] and it remained open while […]
MAD RIVER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — No injuries were reported when a Norfolk Southern train derailed Thursday evening southwest of Springfield, Ohio. NS reports preliminary information indicates 20 cars are involved. Crews were on hand as of Thursday night to begin rerailing equipment and clearing the scene, with additional support en route. Firefighters responded to a […]
OTTAWA — Public hearings into Ottawa’s troubled light rail system will be held June 13 to July 8, a commission established to examine the system has announced. The Ottawa Light Rail Transit Public Inquiry will hold the hearings in a courtroom at the University of Ottawa’s law school, the Ottawa Citizen reports, and will be […]
WASHINGTON — The new general manager named earlier this week by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will not start the job until late summer, the agency announced, leading to the appointment of an interim general manager. WJLA-TV reports Andy Off, an executive vice president at WMATA, will serve as the interim GM of the […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — Legislators in New York state have introduced bills requiring two-person crews for most freight operations in the state. Senate bill S3953, introduced by Sen. Timothy M. Kennedy (D-Buffalo), would require two-person crews for Class I and Class II railroads, except for those engaged in switching, and specifies penalties beginning at $250 to […]
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — The Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC), a 106-mile-long regional carrier connecting Indianapolis with Louisville, Ky., has acquired a Louisville-area short line, the defunct 5.5-mile-long Southern Indiana Railway (SIND). One of several railroads owned by the Chicago-based Anacostia Rail Holdings Co., LIRC operates from a yard and maintenance shop here. It will […]
WASHINGTON — Members of a key congressional committee on Wednesday expressed frustration with widespread railroad service problems and the Surface Transportation Board’s response. “The facts are undeniable. Freight service in the United States of America … is abysmal,” said Rep. Peter DeFazio, the Oregon Democrat who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. DeFazio said […]
CLARENDON HILLS, Ill. – A woman passenger was killed here Wednesday morning and four other people were injured when a Chicago-bound Metra commuter train hit a box truck that was stalled at a crossing on the triple-track BNSF Railway main line. Metra train No. 1242 struck the vehicle at Prospect Avenue about 8:10 a.m., according […]
BEVERLY, Mass. – A passenger who fell asleep and missed his station has sued commuter-train operator Keolis, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He injured an arm while trying to leave the train in a storage yard, according to the suit. Filing the action in Salem Superior Court last week was […]
MINNEAPOLIS – Railroading Heritage of Midwest America (RRHMA) has announced a Double Matching Grant program to aid in the restoration of its two recently acquired Union Pacific steam locomotives, Challenger No. 3985 and 2-10-2 No. 5511. Under the program announced this week, all donations to RRHMA’s Steam Restoration Fund will be matched with $2 for […]
