As the rebranding of Brightline to Virgin Trains USA begins in earnest, the company has received approval for more bond sales to finance its expansion. Bob Johnston Retired Brightline executive Gene Skoropowski, who has long worked to bring improved rail service to Florida, found last week’s events to be “exciting.” Bob Johnston ORLANDO — Virgin […]
RENO, Nev. — A Nevada sheriff’s office is asking the public to help catch trespassers. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has created the Rail Auxiliary Team, or “RAT Pack,” an all-volunteer force that keeps an eye on the rails Washoe County and in nearby Storey County. Richard Gent, Rail Auxiliary Team Leader for the sheriff’s office […]
BALTIMORE — Amtrak will spend $90 million to upgrade Baltimore’s Penn Station, a move expected to ignite $400 to $600 million in development around the station area, the Baltimore Sun reports. Amtrak will make station and track improvements and lease an adjacent lot to a group, Penn Station Partners, to build a mixed-use project. “Amtrak […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After a year of turmoil capped by Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pledge in February to scale back California’s high-speed rail project, CEO Brian Kelly says he will unveil a new construction plan May 1 designed to restore flagging public confidence in the project. The plan was devised by DB Engineering & Consulting, […]
An eastbound CSX freight train departs Russell, Ky., headed for Hinton, W.Va. CSX is closing its Russell locomotive shops in eastern Kentucky, citing a decrease in locomotive work at the former Chesapeake & Ohio facility. Chase Gunnoe JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation is closing its locomotive shops in Russell, Ky., and reducing its locomotive heavy […]
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for major changes to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and New York’s subways — as typified by these No. 7 trains at Corona Yard in Queens — in a Thursday speech. Ralph Spielman NEW YORK — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told a civic group Thursday that the Metropolitan Transportation […]
Late CSX Transportation CEO E. Hunter Harrison speaks before the Surface Transportation Board in 2017. A railroad executive now says Harrison is not the inventor of Precision Scheduled Railroading. R.G. Edmonson BALTIMORE — E. Hunter Harrison may have written the book on Precision Scheduled Railroading. But the late chief executive is not the creator of […]
The bell tower on the restored Harvey House in Las Vegas, N.M. Three photos, Steve Glischinski LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Hotel La Castañeda, a former Santa Fe Railway Harvey House hotel adjacent to the former depot in Las Vegas, saw its first guests in decades April 1. The hotel received its certificate of occupancy […]
The Twin Cities’ Northstar commuter rail service will add trains for this weekend’s Final Four in Minneapolis. Steve Glischinski MINNEAPOLIS — Northstar Commuter Rail will run special trains beginning Friday for the NCAA basketball Final Four and related events being held at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. Today (Friday, April 5) an additional train […]
U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski is not satisfied with Amtrak’s response to his questions over a Feb. 28 incident that badly disrupted operations at Chicago Union Station. TRAINS: David Lassen WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, says he is “extremely disappointed” with Amtrak’s explanation for the […]
BALTIMORE — Precision Scheduled Railroading ultimately improves railroad service by making transit times more consistent, shippers and a company that tracks rail shipments say. Getting there, however, is not easy. That’s because PSR aims to change 150 years of learned behavior in 150 days, which initially disrupts the railroad, says Ken Sherman, vice president and […]
Michigan Central Station in 1981. A study is exploring the possibility of returning Amtrak service to the station. Ernest L. Novak DETROIT — The revival of Detroit’s Michigan Central Station could include passenger train service. Bridge Michigan, an online journalism cooperative, reports that the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority have begun a $30,000 feasibility study to […]
