Western Maryland Scenic No. 734 pulls a photo freight through Helmstetter’s Farm around the iconic horseshoe curve. Kevin Gilliam CORRIGANVILLE, Md. — One of the best-known railroad landmarks east of the Mississippi and one of the most frequently-photographed locations along the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad is for sale. The iconic Helmstetters’ Farm, located in Corriganville, […]
Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson discusses his vision for the passenger railroad during a Thursday appearance at a travel industry conference in New York. Ralph Spielman NEW YORK — Amtrak President and CEO Richard Anderson made a rare public appearance Thursday at the Skift Global 2019 Travel Industry Conference, voicing many of the themes that have […]
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — After a five-month delay, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is scheduled to begin a pilot program of commuter rail service to Foxborough on Oct. 21. The 11-month trial, approved last November, was originally slated to begin in May [see “MBTA to begin Foxborough service on trial basis,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 30, […]
ERIE, Pa. — It seems the struggles of the former GE locomotive plant in Erie have come to an end and now it may have a brighter future with an announcement that Wabtec intends to move its Motive Power Industries operation to the Erie Plat plant. The announcement was made Wednesday that it will be […]
N&W 611, shown at Jamestown, N.C., in September 2018, will move to N.C. Transportation Museum after its tour at Strasburg, Pa. Trains: Jim Wrinn SPENCER, N.C. — Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611, restored to life at the N.C. Transportation Museum in 2015, will return to Spencer in 2019 for special events this fall […]
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco-area transit agencies will study the possibilities of integrating their fares to reduce commuting costs. The San Francisco Examiner reports that the Clipper Executive Board, representing transit executives from the region, has approved the study, which will take 12 to 14 months. The $599,839 cost will be covered by residual funds from […]
LONG BEACH, Calif. — The impact of scheduled railroading on Canadian National’s intermodal network 15 years ago may show the path CSX Transportation, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific will follow as they embrace the operating model of the late E. Hunter Harrison. CN slashed low-margin services, shut terminals, and shed volume while […]
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Sept. 14, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 526,734 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.8% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending Sept. 14 were […]
SEATTLE — Amtrak has begun maintaining and repairing locomotives at a recently opened, $32 million service station in Seattle, just south of King Street Station. The 330-foot-long, 55-foot-high repair shop will work on locomotives used on Amtrak’s Cascades service, the Empire Builder, and Coast Starlight, as well as locomotives used on Sound Transit’s Sounder commuter […]
TORONTO — Ontario transit agency Metrolinx has announced it will buy 36 new bilevel railcars from Bombardier for GO Transit. The order will include 31 standard coaches and five accessible cars, and will add more than 6,000 new seats for GO Transit operations. The cars will be built at Bombardier’s Thunder Bay, Ont., plant, which […]
The interior of one of the new heated waiting areas at Metra’s Healy station. The station was completed earlier this year but formal opening ceremonies were held Tuesday. TRAINS: David Lassen A conductor announces information for passengers as a Metra Electric train stops at the Homewood Station in 2016. Homewood has received funds for a […]
DENVER — The Colorado Department of Transportation is close to buying a closed Union Pacific rail yard near downtown Denver, which could figure into the state’s efforts to begin Front Range passenger rail service or could help address a bottleneck in Denver’s light rail system. Colorado Public Radio reports that Colorado DOT would like to […]
