Start of trial pushed back for Amtrak 188 engineer

Amtrak logo.

PHILADELPHIA — The opening of the trial of the former Amtrak engineer at the controls for the fatal 2015 derailment of Northeast Regional train No. 188 has been delayed. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the trial of Brandon Bostian, which had been scheduled to begin Tuesday, is now expected to start no sooner than Thursday […]

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Citing ‘false response’ to information request, Metra asks for more time to comment on CP-KCS merger

Train with red locomotive passing station

WASHINGTON — Chicago commuter operator Metra has asked the Surface Transportation Board for more time to file comments on the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, saying CP had originally “filed a false response” to Metra’s request for information, and only recently provided an incomplete set of documents Metra says it needs to assess the […]

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News photos: Blizzard aftermath and plow action in Ontario

Train throwing snow as it pushes through drifts

Winter hit Southern Ontario hard over the Feb. 19-20 weekend. A widespread blizzard whipped up snow for hundreds of miles, accumulating on rights of way and proving especially difficult on Canadian National and Southern Ontario Railway branch lines in Southwestern Ontario. CN’s north mainline is an internal short line, operated by crews formerly of the […]

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NTSB issues final report on Illinois short line fatality

Diagram of site of fatal accident

WASHINGTON — A conductor at an Illinois short line was killed when he was pulled off his train by the gate he was attempting to open while entering an industrial track, according to the final report on a November 2020 accident issued Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The 35-year-old conductor of the Decatur […]

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Bid question delays SunRail extension

Commuter train at Spanish-style passenger station

DeLAND, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation has received four bids — all below its $44 million estimate — for the planned 12-mile extension of commuter railroad SunRail, but a bid protest by one of the contractors is delaying the award process. The West Volusia Beacon reports the four bids range from $32.9 million […]

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Pacific Surfliners get wi-fi upgrade

Blue and silver-painted locomotive at a station platform surrounding by brown steel work and palm trees. Amtrak Pacific Surfliner renewable diesel.

The LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, which operates Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliners, is rolling out improved wi-fi on its 351-mile route between San Luis Obispo, Calif., and San Diego. “We know the importance of providing stable Wi-Fi for our passengers,” Donna DeMartino, LOSSAN Agency Managing Director, said in a press release. “Whatever the purpose of their travel, […]

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Double-track construction set to end South Shore street running

Electric multiple-unit commuter train running down street at night

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — The end is apparently at hand for the majority of  street running for South Shore Line commuter trains in Michigan City. Beginning Monday, Feb. 28, buses will replace commuter trains between the Carroll Avenue station in Michigan City and Dune Park in Porter, Ind., as part of the project to double-track […]

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