Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Nov. 23, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 521,927 carloads and intermodal units, up 10.6% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending Nov. 23 were […]
Amtrak offers ‘surprise and delight’ gift box for railfans; appears sold out in hours NEWSWIRE
Amtrak Store website screen image WASHINGTON — You might be too late to grab a “Surprise and Delight” railfan gift box Amtrak offered for sale on Monday. A National Railroad Passenger Corp. representative confirmed to Trains on Monday afternoon that the railroad’s online store offered a limited set of 50 surprise boxes to customers — announcing […]
Amtrak weathers Thanksgiving holiday storms with sold-out trains NEWSWIRE
Passengers fill the Holland, Mich., station on Nov. 29, 2019, waiting for the sold-out Pere Marquette to Chicago. Bob Johnston NEW YORK — Once again, the nation’s TV viewers were treated to a steady diet of reporters doing obligatory stand-ups during the Thanksgiving holiday that bemoaned cancelled flights and snow-clogged highways from Denver through the […]
Chicago interchange dispute: Canadian Pacific 1, Canadian National 0 NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators have given Canadian Pacific a limited victory in its dispute with Canadian National over where the railroads should interchange traffic in Chicago. CN’s unilateral request to have Canadian Pacific run 84 miles through the busy Chicago terminal in order to interchange at Kirk Yard in Gary, Ind., is unreasonable, the Surface […]
‘Holiday Train’ delivers food, lights, and entertainment to crowds in the US and Canada
Alan Doyle and Beautiful Band perform for the crowd gathered to see them and the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train at Mechanicville, N.Y., on Nov. 26. Dan Kittay The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train rests at Mechanicville, N.Y., during a recent stop. Two trains, similarly decorated with lights and decorations, travel the Canadian Pacific network each November […]
Neighbors express concern about CP plan to expand intermodal facility NEWSWIRE
Canadian Pacific plans to use the Minneapolis land formerly occupied by its Shoreham Yard roundhouse, torn down earlier this year, to expand an intermodal facility is meeting with some local opposition. Steve Glischinski MINNEAPOLIS — Community officials have been caught off guard by Canadian Pacific plans to redevelop a portion of its Shoreham Yard facility, […]
Steam commuter operation in Poland appears to be ending NEWSWIRE
Mainline steam in November 2019: Polish 2-6-2 Ol49 59 is about to leave Wolsztyn with the 11:37 service to Leszno on Nov. 22, 2019. The 80-minute one-way steam trip cost around $3. Keith Fender WARSAW — Daily steam hauled passenger services survive on two regional commuter rail lines in western Poland but seem set to […]
Swedes prank electric car show with a 100-year-old electric streetcar NEWSWIRE
GOTHENBURG, Sweden — Leave it to Swedes to come up with the politely sharp repartee rail promoters often lack by taking a vintage streetcar to a cutting edge electric automobile show. Western Sweden’s public transit manager, Västtrafik, is responsible for the glossy, deadpan exhibit at eCarExpo in Gothenburg — which the transport provider claims is […]
UP sues to end employment provision in Texas town
PALESTINE, Texas — Union Pacific has filed suit to overturn a contract dating to 1872 that guarantees a certain number of jobs in Palestine, an east Texas community of 18,136 located 110 miles southwest of Dallas. The Palestine Herald-Press reports the suit, filed on Nov. 27, contends the contract should have been invalidated by a […]
Boston commuter train uncouples during rush hour, delaying system NEWSWIRE
BOSTON — A Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority commuter train uncoupled during Monday’s morning rush at Boston’s largest transit hub, causing numerous delays to Boston-area trains. MBTA Commuter Rail tweeted just after 7:20 a.m. that Franklin Line train 743 was stopped at South Station in the Michael S. Dukakis Transporation Center with a “mechanical issue” and […]
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Analysis: Big-picture flaws in Amtrak’s latest fare sale
WASHINGTON — Amtrak is once again attempting to attract online bargain hunters by offering advance-purchase fares up to 35% off as part of its “Track Friday” sale, which runs through Monday, Dec. 2. The saving over the lowest available “saver” prices are good for travel from Dec. 9, 2019, to April 30, 2020, although discounts […]