RAVENNA, Ky. — Train operations are now underway at the Kentucky-based nonprofit where steam locomotive C&O 2716 is being restored, and officials there are looking forward to larger-scale operations in the near future. On Saturday, Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp. hosted train excursions for the first time in its six-year history to help celebrate the Ravenna […]
Australian mining firm is first buyer for Wabtec battery-electric locomotive
PITTSBURGH — Australian mining company Roy Hill has become the first purchaser of Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive. Wabtec and Roy Hill announced the purchase on Monday. Roy Hill will receive the second-generation version of the FLXdrive locomotive, currently under development for delivery in 2023, which will have an energy capacity of 7 megawatt hours. The […]
NYC train map: Subways, NJ Transit, LIRR and more!
The image above is a NYC train map. For the 2020 special issue, Railroad Maps 2, Trains Senior Editor David Lassen embarked on an ambitious project: Map New York City railroads. The map above shows New York City subway lines, and routes and major several passenger railroads. These include Metro-North, Long Island Rail Road, PATH, […]
Will railroads emerge winners from efforts to fight climate change?
CHICAGO –—Climate change provides an opportunity for railroads, even as more frequent extreme weather events take a toll on railroad operations and infrastructure and require investments in new locomotive technology, executives told a shipper conference last week. The increased emphasis on sustainability is a tremendous opportunity for rail carriers, BNSF CEO Katie Farmer told the […]
Major CN stockholder makes formal call for shareholder meeting, says it will nominate four new board members
LONDON — Activist investor TCI Fund Management has formally requested a special meeting of Canadian National’s shareholders and named four individuals it will nominate for the railroad’s board of directors. “We did not seek a proxy fight,” Chris Hohn, TCI founder and managing partner, said in a Monday press release, “but without urgent action CN’s […]
KCS Holiday Express will not run in 2021; fundraising will continue
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern will hold a fundraising effort to benefit the Salvation Army to mark the 21st anniversary of its Holiday Express program, but the Holiday Express train will not run for a second consecutive year because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “While it’s still not safe to gather for visits […]
VIA Rail Canada pushes back resumption of full ‘Ocean’ service
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — VIA Rail Canada has delayed plans to increase frequencies of its Montreal-Halifax train, the Ocean, until at least Nov. 15, Halifax Today reports. A weekly roundtrip on the route, suspended since March 2020, resumed Aug. 11 [see “VIA’s Ocean to resume once-weekly round trips …,” Trains News Wire, July 12, 2021. […]
The aftermath: Sept. 13, 2001, at Chicago Union Station
CHICAGO — Travelers all over the U.S. had been stranded for two days after the September 11 attacks, when all air traffic was abruptly grounded. Many Amtrak trains had also been stopped that day as a precaution. While people who had been on the road assumed flights might soon resume, continuing security concerns and the […]
Brightline, FEC activate first new double-track segment this week
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It’s only 13 miles of a 129-mile project, but this week’s planned activation of a second main track between West Palm Beach and Jupiter, Fla., represents tangible progress in Brightline’s northward expansion. Restoration of the second main on Florida East Coast’s line to Cocoa, Fla., helps establish a fluid, 110-mph-capable […]
LIRR says third-track project is behind schedule because village is ‘holding hostage’ needed permits
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. — The Long Island Rail Road’s Third Track project is unlikely to meet its December 2022 completion date because officials in Garden City have delayed permits needed for a rail bridge project, Newsday reports. It’s part of a continuing legal battle between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the village of Garden City, […]
VTA restores Blue Line light rail service
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has restored service on more of its light rail network, bringing back Blue Line service as of Sunday, Sept. 12. Trains will operate at 20-minute intervals during weekdays and 30-minute intervals evenings and weekends. The VTA also has extended fare-free light rail travel, which was […]
House Democrats seek $20 billion for transit, high speed rail
WASHINGTON — Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are seeking $20 billion to fund transit and high speed rail projects through a proposed $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, a process not subject to a Senate filibuster. But the Washington Post reports the plan could be contrary to a pledge by President Joe Biden that reconciliation […]