WASHINGTON — “Hold that train — he’s coming through the concourse!” Delaying the 5 p.m. Metroliner or Acela Express by a minute or two didn’t happen often during Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s 36-year tenure as a U.S. Senator from Delaware, but personnel manning the gates at Washington Union Station learned to always be on the […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Digest: Report says Miami, Brightline are closing in on commuter-rail agreement
Friday morning rail transit news: Brightline, Miami-Dade move closer to commuter rail agreement Brightline and Miami-Dade County are closer to an agreement on commuter rail operation on the southern portion of Brightline’s route, and a competition is planned to decide where to build stations for the service. The Miami Herald reports a memo from Mayor […]
Digest: Effort to restart Chicago-Rockford passenger service takes step forward
More Friday morning rail news: Project manager selected for Chicago-Rockford passenger effort The long-running effort to restore passenger rail service between Chicago and Rockford has moved forward, with the Illinois Department of Transportation hiring engineering services firm WSP USA as the proposal’s project manager. The Rockford Register Star reports state Sen. Steve Stadelman announced the […]
Carload traffic key to Canadian Pacific’s purchase of Central Maine & Quebec
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The opportunity to gain carload traffic was the main reason Canadian Pacific acquired 481-mile regional railway Central Maine & Quebec, which was once a part of the railway’s historic shortcut from Montreal to the Atlantic at Saint John, New Brunswick. The CMQ — which links the Montreal area with Irving-owned short lines […]
Pikes Peak railway provides first look at new equipment
PIKES PEAK, Colo. — The first images have been released of the Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway’s new locomotive-hauled trains under construction in Switzerland. The railroad first shared these images with Trains News Wire of the units, being built by Stadler. The new cars are due to be delivered this winter for testing. […]
MTA workers suspended over secret ‘man cave’ at Grand Central
NEW YORK — Three Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers have been suspended without pay and face potential termination after building a secret “man cave” under the tracks of New York’s Grand Central Terminal. A report by the Office of the MTA Inspector General says the men used the room — complete with big-screen TV, refrigerator, microwave […]
Genesee Valley Transportation opens new Scranton locomotive shop
SCRANTON, Pa. — Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad Alco C420 No. 405 gently broke through a ceremonial ribbon this morning, officially opening Genesee Valley Transportation’s Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad Von Storch Locomotive Shops. Located in the Green Ridge section of Scranton, the steel structure features two 200-foot tracks inside, with an 83-foot walk-in inspection pit. A 20-ton crane will allow […]
Norfolk Southern to idle hump at Enola Yard this week
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern will idle the hump at Enola Yard outside Harrisburg, Pa., on Friday, the fifth such move the railroad has made in the past year under its shift to a Precision Scheduled Railroading operating plan. “As of Sept. 25, 2020, Norfolk Southern will idle the hump at the Enola Yard. All […]
Effort to launch second Chicago-Twin Cities Amtrak train receives $31.8 million grant
Commissioners in Ramsey County, Minn., say the effort to launch a second daily train between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago will be the recipient of a $31.8 million federal grant. The Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports an official announcement of the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation is expected […]
Digest: Legislators urge Massachusetts to buy line from Pan Am
Wednesday morning rail news: Legislators urge Massachusetts to buy Pan Am line for future passenger use A group of state legislators has urged Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack to exercise the state’s right of first refusal and purchase a Pan Am Railways route for future passenger service. MassLive.com reports the state has that […]
Analysis: Travelers find no roadmap for Amtrak switch to triweekly trains
CHICAGO — Two weeks before Amtrak begins its first cuts changing daily long-distance service to triweekly, the passenger carrier’s website still offers little help to prospective travelers who attempt to book a trip on a day when service will no longer be available, other than an error message: “At least one portion of your trip […]
Railroad official: Boxcars won’t go over ‘retirement cliff’
NORFOLK, Va. — The aging North American boxcar fleet will remain large enough to handle demand in the coming decade even though boxcars are being retired at a faster rate than new cars are being built, a Norfolk Southern official told a shipper conference on Monday. Shippers and railcar leasing companies have expressed concern over […]