Monday morning rail news in brief: Investigations begin into UP derailment, explosion, fire Investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration, Union Pacific, and Wyoming Department of Transportation have all begun work to determine the cause of Saturday’s derailment, explosion, and fire involving a Union Pacific train near Rock Springs, Wyo. SweetwaterNow.com reports the fire involving cars […]
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — For the first time in 10 years, Florida East Coast Railway has handled a train of NASA rocket boosters bound for Kennedy Space Center. Friday’s move of FEC’s “NASA-12” extra brought the Northrop Grumman solid rocket boosters for the Space Launch System Artemis 1, the first of an estimated nine such […]
Monday midday rail news in brief: EU to decide on Alstom-Bombardier deal by July 16 European Union regulators have set a July 16 deadline to decide whether to approve Alstom’s acquisition of Bombardier’s rail division, Reuters reports. The deal, an effort to strengthen Alstom’s ability to compete with China’s CRRC, the world’s largest rail equipment […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak plans to reduce most long-distance trains to three-day-a-week service as of Oct. 1, according to an internal message obtained by Trains News Wire. In an internal “Service Update,” Amtrak Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Revenue Service Officer Roger Harris told employees today that the goal would be “to restore daily service […]
Sunday morning rail news in brief: Explosions, fire follow derailment of UP train in Rock Springs, Wyo. A Union Pacific derailment led to explosions and a wildfire near Rock Springs, Wyo., on Saturday, as the 26 cars that derailed included multiple cars of liquefied petroleum gas and alcohol, according to a report from the Sweetwater […]
Friday midday rail news in brief: Metro-North conductors sue over crowded trains Conductors have filed suit against Metro-North, saying their health is at risk because of increasingly crowded trains increase the possibility of contracting COVID-19. The Poughkeepsie Journal reports the suit was filed Thursday in federal court by the chairman of the Association of Commuter Rail […]
Longtime Georgia short line executive Benjamin Tarbutton Jr. dies Benjamin Tarbutton Jr., who spent 65 years at his family’s short line, the Sandersville Railroad Co. in Sandersville, Ga., has died at the age of 90. Tarbutton, a U.S. Navy veteran who served during the Korean War, served at president, vice president, and director during […]
More Thursday morning rail news in brief: Ridership estimates improve for Massachusetts East-West rail, but still short of federal funding threshold A long-proposed rail service between Boston and Springfield, Mass., could attract more riders than previously estimated — but still not enough to qualify for federal funding, according to Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack. The […]
ALNA, Maine — The Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum has kicked off a fundraising campaign to build a new steam locomotive. The new machine, No. 11, would be a faithful reproduction of the original railroad’s No. 7, a 1907 Baldwin 2-4-4RT Forney. No. 7 was damaged in a roundhouse fire in 1933 and was […]
Thursday morning rail news in brief: Austin approves ‘Project Connect’ transit plan The Austin, Texas, city council and board of transit agency Capital Metro on Wednesday approved the Project Connect transit plan, a major expansion of the city’s public transportation that will include three new light rail lines — with a subway section in downtown […]
Wednesday morning tourist and museum news in brief: Durango & Silverton says it can operate profitably at 50% capacity, seeks OK to open The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad says it will be capable of turning a profit while running trains at 50% of capacity and now hopes to resume full trips by late […]
More Wednesday morning rail news in brief: Alberta will study feasibility of Calgary-Banff rail line The government of Alberta announced Tuesday that it will study the feasibility of creating rail service between Calgary and the Rocky Mountain community of Banff, a project which would boost the area’s tourism industry. Global News reports the provincial government […]
