WAUKESHA, Wis. — Trains and Special Interest Tours are still welcoming guests for an epic Rocky Mountain rail adventure this August and September. Guests on this Colorado and New Mexico rail tour will help the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad celebrate its 50th anniversary of operations with a meal aboard a narrow gauge dining car […]
First of new Metra schedules increase emphasis on off-peak service; more to come With ridership gradually increasing, Chicago’s Metra announced plans to add service on all lines in July and has released pilot schedules on four lines that will increase off-peak service. The new schedules, available here, are effective on the UP North, BNSF, and […]
Nomination of Feinberg as MTA chairwoman in jeopardy as legislators balk at plan New York legislators have indicated they will not vote on a proposal that would make Sarah Feinberg, the current interim president of New York City Transit, the new chairwoman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. The New York Times reports the legislature […]
CUMBERLAND, Md. — The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad board of directors has appointed Wesley Heinz as interim executive director and granted current director John Garner a 60-day sabbatical to address health and family concerns. Heinz is the current executive director of the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum in Portland, Maine. He brings experience […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 5 remains well ahead of figures for the same week in 2020, although the gap is narrowing compared to the pandemic-related decline in business earlier in 2020. The latest Association of American Railroads statistics show U.S. railroads moved 227,497 carloads for the week, up 18.1%; […]
MIAMI — Brightline CEO Michael Reininger is more optimistic than ever about the prospects for high speed rail in the United States but wants to see more opportunities for the private sector to get involved. In building the Brightline Florida system, the company accessed private activity bonds, which are tax-exempt bonds issued by city or […]
WASHINGTON — The trade association representing chemical shippers has asked federal regulators to put CSX Transportation under increased scrutiny due to what one company called an “operations meltdown.” Members of the American Chemistry Council reported “significant and persistent” railroad service problems, particularly with CSX. But Kansas City Southern and Norfolk Southern also were cited for […]
ATLANTA — As of this week with its return to daily departures from New York and New Orleans, the schedule for Amtrak’s Crescent has been lengthened. This is “to improve customer satisfaction and on-time reliability,” according to a service change advistory. But the adjustments, especially for the northbound train, threaten historically strong patronage on the […]
Amtrak offering USA Rail Pass at $200 savings Amtrak is relaunching its USA Rail Pass by offering the 10-ride pass for $299 through June 22, a savings of $200 over the regular price. The electronic pass allows up to 10 segments of coach travel in a 30-day period; trips involving a connection will count for […]
PALESTINE, Texas — Union Pacific is advancing plans to close its Palestine Car Shop even as legal efforts continue by the city of Palestine and Anderson County continue to block the closure The Palestine Herald reports employees were told last week they will be furloughed after their shift on June 14. Closure of the shop […]
PITTSBURGH — U.S. Steel will sell its subsidiary which operates the company’s six remaining railroads to a subsidiary of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors for $640 million, the steelmaker announced Tuesday. Trains Wire reported almost a year ago that U.S. Steel was seeking a buyer for Transtar [see “U.S. Steel looks to sell remaining rail […]
NEW YORK — Sarah Feinberg has been nominated as board chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Janno Lieber has been appointed as the agency’s CEO to fill positions to be vacated by the departure of Patrick J. Foye. Foye, who has been MTA president, chairman, and CEO for four years, will depart July 30 […]
