PHILADELPHIA — The lengthy legal saga of the engineer in a fatal 2015 Amtrak accident will finally go before a jury asked to determine if the events of that day constitute a crime. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports a trial is slated to begin today (Tuesday, Feb. 22) in which Brandon Bostian, 38, is charged with […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
RDC’s Vivarail to supply all-battery trains for London route
LONDON — Vivarail, the British passenger train re-manufacturing company owned by the Pittsburgh-based Railroad Development Corp., has won a contract to provide battery trains for passenger service in the suburbs west of London. Vivarail has developed a range of passenger trains using electric, diesel, and battery power which are now in regional service in England […]
Rare Fairbanks-Morse locomotives looking for new home
CALGARY, Alberta — The Locomotive & Railway Historical Society of Western Canada is seeking homes for three Fairbanks-Morse locomotives that will become homeless later this year. The locomotives are Canadian Pacific FM H16-44 No. 8554, part of Canadian Pacific’s former historical collection, and a pair of Canadian Pacific FM CPB16-4 B units built as CP […]
Union Pacific train derails in Arizona, leading to chemical leak
COOLIDGE, Ariz. — Approximately 20 cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Monday roughly midway between Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz., on Monday, leading to a spill of a hazardous material. No injuries were reported. The Arizona Republic reports the accident in Coolidge, Ariz. — about 45 miles southwest of Phoenix and 60 miles northwest of […]
An opportunity for the millennial railroader: Analysis
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Class I railroads are hiring train crews to replace the droves of workers who retired or left the railroad during the coronavirus pandemic. Class I railroads currently employ less than 115,000 workers, 12% fewer than before the pandemic, according to Class I railroad data compiled by the Surface Transportation Board. Despite an […]
Lawsuit filed in ‘Empire Builder’ death of Georgia couple
CHICAGO — The family of a Georgia couple killed in last year’s derailment of the Empire Builder near Joplin, Mont. — while on a trip celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary — filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court on Monday alleging Amtrak and BNSF were responsible for the fatal accident. The suit was filed […]
Roger Holmes, railroader, photographer, and historian, dies
Railroader, photographer, and rail historian Roger Holmes of Hudson, Ill., died Saturday, Feb. 19, after a six-week battle with COVID-19. He was 73. Holmes was a former Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway dispatcher, and had worked for the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad and the Chicago & North Western. He had recently worked with younger […]
FRA calls meeting on South Florida grade-crossing, pedestrian safety
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration will hold a meeting this week with South Florida rail operators, as well as government and law-enforcement officials, to discuss safety efforts in the wake of ongoing fatal accidents involving Brightline passenger service. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports Brightline, Amtrak, CSX, and commuter agency Tri-Rail will be part of […]
News report: FTA says BART extension to San Jose likely to be delayed by years
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Bay Area Rapid Transit’s planned extension to San Jose could take four years longer to complete than currently estimated and cost substantially more than the original and current estimates, according to a federal report. The Bay Area News Group, which obtained the Federal Transportation Administration document through a Public Records act […]
Three hurt as rail grinder collides with stopped CSX train
SPENCER, Mass. — Three people were injured when a Loram rail grinder collided with a stopped CSX freight train early Sunday morning, requiring some of the injured to be freed by first responders. WCVB-TV reports a CSX statement indicated the accident occurred about 1:30 a.m. Spencer Fire and Emergency Services wrote on Facebook the three […]
Cumbres & Toltec’s 2021 was good by most measures, and 2022 is shaping up nicely
CHAMA, N.M. — After weathering the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns of 2020 and 2021, Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad ridership rebounded to within 11% of 2019 ridership, railroad President Scott Gibbs tells Trains News Wire. With most restrictions lifted by July 1, 2021, the railroad carried 37,735 riders for the year versus 42,451 in 2019, Gibbs […]
Norfolk Southern recalls some laid-off workers at Altoona shop
ALTOONA, Pa. — Norfolk Southern has recalled 18 laid-off workers at its Juniata Locomotive Shop, the Altoona Mirror reports. Citing information from Bob Kutz, president of the Blair-Bedford Central Labor Council, the newspaper says the railroad has brought back eight machinists, four boilermakers, three electricians, two pipefitters, and a carman. The recalls mean approximately 318 […]