WASHINGTON — Amtrak President and CEO Bill Flynn today cautioned the passenger railroad faces cuts with long-term impact without additional funding from Congress. “If the current level of funding is extended in a continuing resolution beyond Dec. 11, 2020, and supplemental funding isn’t provided,” Flynn said during a conference call, “we’re going to be unable […]
With the financial vise tightening around transit agencies, and prospects diminishing for a rescue from Washington, severe service cuts are coming, accompanied by thousands of layoffs for workers who operate and maintain trains and buses. Public meetings this month in Boston, New York, Washington, and Chicago reveal the extent of the economic carnage taking […]
The Class I railroads that have embraced E. Hunter Harrison’s Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model say their service is faster and more dependable, and that their evolving online tools make it easier for customers to do business with them. Shippers beg to differ. In an Oliver Wyman survey of rail customers in seven industries, every […]
The Rail Pulse car tracking system that’s under development will lead to growth in merchandise traffic by providing shippers with real-time location data throughout a car’s journey from origin to destination, rail industry executives say. Rail Pulse is a joint venture of Norfolk Southern, short line holding companies Genesee & Wyoming and Watco, railcar leasing […]
Friday afternoon rail freight and logistics news: UP opens Minneapolis intermodal terminal, will launch service to LA Union Pacific will begin offering intermodal service to Minneapolis-St. Paul in January 2021 following today’s opening of its Twin Cities Intermodal Terminal in Minneapolis. The new service will feature domestic intermodal service between the Twin Cities and Los […]
HO scale locomotives Alco S-4 diesel locomotive. New paint schemes: CP Rail (red, white, and black with Multimark herald); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (pinstripe scheme); Baltimore & Ohio (blue and yellow); Grand Trunk Western (black and red with “wet noodle” herald); Pennsylvania RR (Dark Green Locomotive Enamel and yellow); and Southern Pacific (black and […]
More Friday morning rail news: San Francisco Muni may have to spend millions to redo part of tunnel project Just two years after completing a $52 million tunnel project, San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency will be forced to redo part of the project because of potential stability problems in the track used by Muni light […]
Friday midday rail news: Port Authority of NY-NJ budget proposal includes layoffs, service cuts The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is considering layoffs, service cuts, and cutbacks to future capital projects as it prepares its 2021 budget reflecting COVID-19-related financial woes. NorthJersey.com reports that Executive Director Rick Cotton told the board the […]
Still more Friday morning rail news: Woman suffers minor injuries after being shoved in front of subway train; man charged with attempted murder A woman suffered only minor bumps and bruises after being shoved onto the tracks in front of an oncoming New York City Transit subway train, even though the first two cars of […]
Friday morning rail transit and budget news: DC Metro approves budget with service cuts, buyout plan The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board unanimously approved service cuts and a buyout plan intended to reduce layoffs as part of a budget addressing $176 million shortfall as a result of COVID-19. The Washington Post reports the agency […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration’s release this week of its “Metrics and Minimum Standards for Intercity Passenger Rail Service” will require a revamp of virtually all U.S. intercity passenger train schedules, as well as operating agreements between Amtrak and its host railroads. That was the plan all along, according to FRA Administrator Ron Batory. […]
Amtrak says it needs to make urgent repairs to its existing Hudson River tunnels — a process that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars — to address the potential for catastrophic failure of the century-old passageways between New Jersey and New York’s Penn Station. The Associated Press reports it has reviewed a not-yet-completed Amtrak […]
