Montana’s Isaak Walton Inn is sold

Passenger train passes inn building

ESSEX, Mont. — The Izaak Walton Inn, the trackside property along BNSF main line adjacent to Glacier National Park that is a longtime railfan destination, is under new ownership. The Daily Inter Lake reports that Brian Kelly, who has owned the property since 2006, has sold it to Loge Camps, a hotel marketed toward outdoors […]

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BNSF, J.B. Hunt participate in wreath-laying event in Southern California

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — BNSF Railway and multimodal transportation company J.B. Hunt are transporting more than 6,400 wreaths to Riverside National Cemetery as part of their annual participation in the Wreaths Across America program. Today (Friday, Dec. 16), at 7 a.m. PST, a J.B. Hunt truck accompanied by a Patriot Guard motorcycle escort will move the […]

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Class I railroads split on taking conductors out of the locomotive cab

Intermodal train passes between two stopped trains

The big six Class I railroads are not of one mind regarding taking conductors out of the locomotive cab and redeploying them to pickup trucks. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern told the Federal Railroad Administration this week that they are negotiating with unions about testing the concept, which would involve having conductors assist trains in […]

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Judge rules Canadian Pacific is not liable in Lac-Mégantic disaster

Fire-damaged town and derailed train

MONTREAL — A Quebec judge has found that Canadian Pacific is not liable in the 2013 runaway-train disaster that killed 47 people in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. The Canadian Press reports that Justice Martin Bureau ruled Wednesday that the actions of which Canadian Pacific was accused were not the “direct, immediate and logical cause” of the July […]

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FTA grants to help upgrade five NJ Transit stations

NJ Transit logo

WASHINGTON — NJ Transit will receive more than $34 million in federal funding to upgrade stations on three routes to meet accessibility standards, U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker announced this week. Grants awarded under the Federal Transit Administration’s All Stations Accessibility Program are: — $18,187,378 to the Anderson Street station in Hackensack and […]

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MBTA board approves land purchase for new commuter rail yard

Diagram of rail yard

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has received the go-ahead to buy 24 acres of land at Boston’s Widett Circle for a commuter rail layover facility, which would ease capacity issues at existing yards and at nearby South Station. The Boston Herald reports the MBTA Board of Directors approved the purchase Thursday, allowing the […]

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VIA creates High Frequency Rail subsidiary, names first board members

VIA Rail Canada logo

MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada on Thursday announced creation of a new wholly owned subsidiary, VIA HFR, to manage development of the High Frequency Rail project for service between Toronto and Quebec City, and to act as a dedicated project office. VIA has appointed the three founding members of the VIA HFR board: Robert Prichard, who […]

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Metra to replace three Electric Line stations on South Side

Metra Electric train arriving at station

CHICAGO — Metra’s board of directors on Wednesday approved a $33.9 million contract to rebuild stations on the Metra Electric Line on Chicago’s South Side, making the stations accessible and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The rebuilds of the 79th, 87th, and 103rd Street stations is part of a larger effort, the Metra […]

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Denver’s RTD permanently drops two light rail routes

Map of Denver rail transit lines

DENVER — The Regional Transportation District will permanently discontinue two light rail lines that had been dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of schedule changes beginning in January. Dropped will be the C line, from Denver Union Station to the Littleton-Mineral station, and the F line, from 18th and California in downtown Denver to […]

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Canadian government announces new rail safety program to reach Indigenous, local communities

Transport Canada logo

OTTAWA — Canada’s Transport Minister, Omar Alghabra, on Thursday announced a new program to fund efforts to involve Indigenous and local communities in rail safety initiatives. The Program to Enhance Rail Safety Engagement will receive up to C$1.6 million in funding, and is now accepting proposals for the program through Feb. 16, 2023. It seeks […]

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Amtrak rolls out ‘Airo’ branding, images of Siemens push-pull fleet

Side view of new Amtrak equipment passing lake

NEW YORK —  Amtrak today (Thursday, Dec. 15) introduced the graphics and a new brand name — Airo — for its coming fleet of Siemens Mobility push-pull trainsets due to enter service in 2026, replacing 40- to 50-year-old locomotive-hauled equipment. At a press conference in Penn Station’s Moynihan Train Hall, Amtrak President Roger Harris and […]

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