NEW YORK — Officials signed off on a $6.88 billion federal grant Monday for the Northeast Corridor’s Gateway Tunnel project — the largest single federal grant ever for a transit infrastructure project, and part of $11 billion in federal money for the $16 billion project to build two new bores under the Hudson River between […]
Railroad: Amtrak
Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner derails; no injuries reported (updated)
WASHINGTON, Mo. — No injuries were reported when Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner derailed this evening (Monday, July 8), KSDK-TV reports. All cars remained upright. Amtrak said in a statement that the train hit a tree on the tracks at about 4:55 p.m. CT, derailing the locomotive’s rear axle. There were 124 passengers and five crew […]
Railroads button down operations in Houston due to Hurricane Beryl
Union Pacific and BNSF Railway shut down their operations in the Houston area Sunday in preparation for Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall today (Monday, July 8) as a Category 1 storm. Beryl, which was downgraded to a tropical storm this morning, came ashore at Matagorda, Texas, about 90 miles southwest of Houston. Beryl is expected […]
Amtrak service between New York, Boston restored
NEW YORK — Amtrak service on the Northeast Corridor between Boston and New York City was restored as of about 9 p.m. Saturday night, the passenger operator announced late Saturday evening. The company says the preliminary cause is a lightning strike that disrupted power. Normal operations are planned for today except for three early trains […]
Amtrak NEC service halted between New York, Boston
NEW YORK — Amtrak service between New York City and Boston was cancelled for the remainder of today (Saturday, July 6) as of mid-afternoon because of “an ongoing electric power issue,” the passenger operator said in a service alert on its website posted at 5:50 p.m. ET. An earlier notification indicated that the problem was […]
Rail labor opposes Amtrak request for waiver to deal with ‘loss of shunt’ until testing data is shared (updated)
WASHINGTON — Three labor organizations have opposed Amtrak’s request for a waiver allowing installation of a device the company claims will prevent incidents where trains fail to trigger track circuits. As a result, a decades-old issue that recently has forced Amtrak to assign at least seven Superliners to trains operated over Canadian National’s Chicago-Carbondale, Ill., […]
Amtrak awards contract to replace Connecticut River Bridge
NEW YORK — Amtrak announced on Friday, June 28, that had awarded a construction contract to build a new Connecticut River Bridge on the Northeast Corridor to replace the existing 116-year-old structure. A joint venture of O&G/Tutor Perini received the contract award for the $1.3 billion project, which has received a $827 million Federal Railroad […]
Amtrak, NJ Transit pledge to work together to address Northeast Corridor issues
NEWARK, N.J. — Amtrak and NJ Transit have committed to work together to address operational issues that have been plaguing both services on the Northeast Corridor, including more frequent inspections of their equipment and the 170 miles of track they share between New York and Trenton, N.J. The two agencies made that pledge after a […]
Appropriators proposal trims Amtrak fiscal 2025 budget: Analysis
WASHINGTON — The process that determines how much money Amtrak will receive for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2024, began Wednesday with release of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Committee’s “Department of Transportation Appropriation Act of 2025.” Funding levels for the U.S. DOT and its related highway, rail, and […]
New Jersey congressional delegation seeks investigation on Northeast Corridor issues
WASHINGTON — New Jersey’s congressional delegation is requesting that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg investigate Amtrak issues on the Northeast Corridor that have led to what a letter calls a “commuting nightmare” on one recent morning, as well as a series of other recent disruptions. The June 25 letter, signed by all 11 House members from […]
CSX line reopens after Harpers Ferry bridge fire (updated)
HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — CSX has reopened one track of its two-track main line at Harpers Ferry, W.Va., about 3:30 a.m. today (Tuesday, June 25) and expected the other to be reopened by midday following Monday’s fire on the bridge across the Potomac River. The Hagerstown Herald-Mail reports railroad spokesman Bryan Tucker wrote in an […]
Bridge fire shuts down CSX main line at Harpers Ferry, W.Va. (updated)
HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — CSX’s double-track main line at Harpers Ferry has been shut down after a reported bridge deck fire this afternoon (Monday, June 24), leading to a cancellation of Amtrak’s Capitol Limited and disrupting freight service and MARC commuter rail operations. Eyewitness photos looking east from the original Baltimore & Ohio train station […]