Three Canadian National locomotives have been repainted into heritage paint schemes, and more are reportedly on the way. Photographs circulating on the internet show locomotives painted in Grand Trunk blue and red; the red, white, and blue BC Rail paint scheme; and the black Illinois Central scheme known to railfans as the “death star” design. […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Digest: NYC subways see increase in violent crime
Monday midday rail news: While overall crime drops, New York subway sees increase in violent crime While overall crime has dropped significantly on New York’s subway system with the loss of ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic, violent crime is rising. The New York Times reports overall subway crime decreased by 40% between January and the end of […]
Digest: FBI still seeking suspects in 1995 Amtrak derailment
Still more Monday morning rail news: FBI investigation continues, 25 years after ‘Sunset Limited’ derailment Twenty-five years after a fatal derailment of the Sunset Limited in Arizona, the investigation continues and a reward remains available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those response. An article posted on the FBI website on Friday, the 25th […]
Digest: CSX derailment near Atlanta injures two, leads to evacuation
Monday morning rail news: CSX train derailed by washout; chemical fire spurs evacuation Residents in a portion of Lilburn, Ga., were evacuated early Sunday morning after 38 cars of a CSX train derailed in the community 10 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta, leading to a chemical fire. Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services reports a crew member […]
Digest: Commission investigating separation of moving DC Metro train
Monday morning transit and commuter rail news: Investigation underway into Friday separation of DC Metro train The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission is investigating a Friday incident in which cars of a DC Metro Red Line train separated while the train was in motion. More than 100 passengers were stranded on a DC Metro Red Line […]
British government announces end for rail franchise system
LONDON — As widely expected, the British government has announced the end of the passenger franchise system introduced as the means of privatizing the rail industry in 1996 and will introduce a new concession system to take its place. U.K. Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps told the media last month, “The model of privatization adopted 25 […]
Rail agencies receive awards from two FTA programs
WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has announced a barrage of project funding, with 35 projects receiving a total of $17.6 million in funding as part of two programs. Eight rail-related items are among the 10 programs receiving a total of $9.1 million as part of the Safety Research & Demonstration program. Among those awards are […]
News Photo: Wabash unit reborn
A Wabash Alco C424 in Pennsylvania in 2020? Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad No. 2409 was built by Alco in 1964, part of a cancelled order of seven units for the National Railways of Mexico.Wabash purchased the units soon before the road was leased by Norfolk & Western. It worked for N&W until the late 1970s, when it […]
Digest: Long Island Rail Road expansion project reaches halfway point
More Friday morning rail news: Long Island Rail Road triple-track project reaches midpoint The Long Island Rail Road Expansion project, adding 10 miles of third track on the LIRR Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville, N.Y., has reached its halfway point ahead of schedule and under budget, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced. Grade crossings […]
Digest: Canada to require new switching rules after fatal accident (updated)
Friday morning Canadian rail news: Canadian government to require new switching rules as a result of fatal 2017 accident The Canadian government is requiring railroads to develop new rules for switching operations as a result of a Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigation into a fatal accident at Canadian National’s Melville, Saskatchwan, yard in 2017. In […]
Digest: Amtrak to resume service to Holdrege, Neb.
Still more Friday morning rail news: Amtrak completes new platform, will resume stops in Holdrege, Neb. Amtrak’s California Zephyr will again stop in Holdrege, Neb., after an absence of several months after completion of a new station platform in the community. KHGI-TV reports that after the passenger railroad could no longer reach agreement with the owner of the 1910 […]
Analysis: Amtrak triweeklies, with smaller consists, see sellouts, high fares
CHICAGO — Amtrak is experiencing near-capacity or sellout ridership on long-distance trains as it begins its shift to triweekly operation, but says it has no plans to adjust train size to increase available inventory until just before the Thanksgiving holidays. This cost-focused strategy of reducing consists and furloughing the personnel to man them limits possible […]