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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
F. C. Jones works the model board inside brand-new Clara Street tower, part of the project that produced New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal in 1954. James G. La Vake photo […]
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 […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has soaked up all the complaints leveled at its soaring use of embargoes and will evaluate customer suggestions before coming back to the Surface Transportation Board with steps it may take to ease the burden on shippers. “First and foremost, I do want to assure the board that we have listened. […]
The O gauge Lionel ES44AC locomotive is a release that really captures the essence of modern rail power. This Legacy model has returned rather quickly to the train-maker’s catalog in 2022 with new road names. Those include several heritage paint schemes, like the Canadian National’s Elgin, Joliet & Eastern livery shown in this video. With […]
