Slide activity again halts Amtrak Cascades service (updated)

White locomotive with green and brown trim on passenger train

SEATTLE — For the second consecutive weekend, Amtrak Cascades service has been disrupted between Portland and Seattle because of a landslide. According to an Amtrak service advisory, all Cascade trains are cancelled today (Saturday, Jan. 27) and Sunday, Jan. 28, between Seattle and Portland with alternate transportation (buses) provided. Coast Starlight trains with originate or […]

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Mudslide closes Cascades route as Midwest cancellations near end

Passenger train at sunset. Amtrak cancellations mudslide snow

PORTLAND, Ore. — The latest in Amtrak’s series of weather-related operating cancellations in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest — caused by a mudslide, cold, and snow — will extend until at least Tuesday morning, based on information available as of Sunday evening, Jan. 21. A mudslide south of Kelso, Wash., on BNSF Railway’s Amtrak Cascades […]

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BLET members ratify contract with Portland & Western

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – On Jan. 11, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen ratified a new agreement with the Portland & Western Railroad. A tentative agreement was reached in December 2023. The five-year contract governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for approximately 55 operating employees. A Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary, Portland […]

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The Pacific Railway & Navigation Co. layout

A model railroad layout track plan

Facts & features Name: Pacific Railway & Navigation Co.Scale: Proto:48 (O fine scale)Size: 4 x 38 feet (Palouse), 40 x 60 feet (entire layout) Prototype: Great Northern; Northern Pacific; PR&N; and Spokane, Portland & Seattle (elsewhere on layout)Era: mid-1950sLocale: Pacific NorthwestStyle: walk-in multi-deckMainline run: approx. 1,200 feetMinimum radius: 84″Minimum turnout: No. 7 (spurs), No. 8 […]

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Amtrak Midwest winter shutdown continues

Workers attending to locomotives in snow.

CHICAGO — Amtrak continues to assess efforts to operate in subzero Midwest temperatures and make cancellation decisions less than 24 hours before departures. In a remarkably candid email addressed this morning to “Supporter of Passenger Rail” and obtained by Trains News Wire, Amtrak’s veteran Chicago-based government affairs director, Derrick James, outlined the latest cancellations through […]

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Winter weather stops Portland, Ore., light rail service

Man clearing downed tree from catenary

PORTLAND, Ore. — MAX light rail service remains suspended throughout the Portland area as of this morning (Monday, Jan. 15) as a result of winter weather that hit the area on Saturday — with more on the way. Transit agency Tri-Met says in an advisory on its website the light rail service is suspended “until […]

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Sound Transit board approves hiring of Sparrman as interim CEO

Man in suit and tie

SEATTLE — The Sound Transit board has approved the one-year appointment of Goran Sparrman, a former Seattle Department of Transportation official, as its interim CEO. The board voted to approve Sparrman’s appointment at a special meeting on Thursday. The appointment is effective on Saturday, Jan. 13; today (Friday, Jan. 12) is the final day for CEO […]

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Sound Transit board to meet on appointment of interim CEO

Sound Transit logo

SEATTLE — Sound Transit’s board will consider appointment of Goran Sparrman as interim CEO of the agency at a special meeting this Thursday, Jan. 11, the agency has announced. Sparrman, who would be appointed for one year, currently works for infrastructure consultant HNTB and has twice served as acting director of the Seattle Department of […]

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Port of Long Beach rail project, I-5 bridge among Mega Grant awards

Aerial view of rail yard at port

WASHINGTON — A rail-related project at the Port of Long Beach in Southern California and replacement of the Interstate 5 bridge between Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash., are among projects to receive federal Mega Grant funding, according to announcement by federal legislators. Another such grant, for a new rail drawbridge at Stuart, Fla., has already […]

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Sound Transit to switch to flat-fee fares for light rail

Sound Transit logo

SEATTLE — Sound Transit’s light rail system will begin charging a flat fare of $3 next fall for rides anywhere on the system under a plan approved Friday by the transit agency’s board. Riders currently pay fares ranging from $2.25 to $3.50 based on distance, with the majority paying $2.75 or less, the Seattle Times […]

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