Railfanning the upper Mississippi River is a rewarding experience. The area’s scenic beauty rated a slogan from the Burlington Route: “Where nature smiles 300 miles,” enticing passengers to Chicago, Burlington & Quincy passenger trains along the east bank of the river. Milwaukee Road’s Hiawathas (slogan: “Nothing Faster on Rails”) competed for Chicago-Twin Cities business using its own […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s governor has signed legislation giving the state more authority in managing the LOSSAN Rail Corridor, the route of Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner between San Diego and San Luis Obispo, as well as Metrolink and Coaster commuter trains. SB 1098, sponsored by state Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas), allows the state’s secretary of transportation […]
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Service on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Green Line remains disrupted today (Oct. 2) following a Tuesday derailment of a Green Line train — an incident the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. The MBTA says in a post on social media site X that shuttle buses continue to replace service between […]
TRENTON, N.J. — A New Jersey state senate committee has approved a bill that would require two-person crews for freight trains and set a maximum length of 8,500 feet for “dangerous hazardous trains.” Bill S3389, sponsored by Sens. Patrick Diegnan Jr. (D-Middlesex) and Raj Mukerji (D-Hudson), defines “dangerous hazardous trains” as those carrying tank cars […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak is increasing the risk of cost overruns and schedule delays on Baltimore’s Frederick Douglass Tunnel project because it has not completed all necessary planning as the start of major construction approaches, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General says in a report released Tuesday, Oct. 1. Major construction is slated to begin this […]
WASHINGTON — The Union Pacific conductor struck and killed by a Metra train in Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 4 had left the locomotive of his freight train to address a hot-wheel report from a wayside detector, the National Transportation Safety Board says in am preliminary investigation report issued today (Tuesday, Oct. 1). The incident occurred […]
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Seven people were taken to hospitals for treatment following the derailment of a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line train this evening (Oct. 1) near the Lechmere station in Cambridge, WBTS-TV reports. The incident occurred about 5 p.m. About 50 people were reported to have evacuated from the light rail vehicle onto […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has announced the availability of more than $1 billion in funding for passenger projects outside the Northeast Corridor under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program. The announcement today (Oct. 1) covers new funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Projects eligible for the funds expand or improve the […]
MONTE VISTA, Colo. — Sale of the San Luis Central Railroad, the 13-mile Colorado short line in the state’s San Luis Valley, is expected to close today (Oct. 1), Ed Burkhardt of Rail World Inc. has told News Wire contributor Russell Sharp. The Soloviev Group, owner of the connecting Colorado Pacific Rio Grande Railroad, filed […]
BOSTON — Keolis Commuter Services, contract operator of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, has announced plans to release a Request for Proposals for battery-electric rolling stock later this year. The new equipment will be used on the commuter system’s Fairmount Line under a plan proposed by Keolis last year and approved by the MBTA board […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific says it’s already successfully handling the surge in container volume at West Coast ports, which began weeks ago as shippers sought to dodge a potential strike at ports on the East Coast. “As part of our strategy of Safety, Service and Operational Excellence, we expect the unexpected. We keep a buffer […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The rail industry has suffered a setback in its efforts to block California rules that would require the use of zero-emission locomotives in the state by 2030, as a federal judge stayed the case while awaiting a federal ruling on the state’s application to regulate older locomotives. Courthouse News Service reports that […]
