WASHINGTON — Beginning June 1, Amtrak plans to restore a dining car to the New York-New Orleans Crescent. However, initially only sleeping car passengers will be allowed to use it, and the food served will continue to be reheated “flexible” meals. As reported in the Rail Passengers Association’s weekly Hotline email, Amtrak senior leadership confirmed […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
VIA to retire Renaissance equipment from corridor operations
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada will retire its British-built Renaissance equipment from Quebec City-Windsor, Ontario, corridor service on Sunday, May 26, the passenger operator has confirmed. The last train to use the Renaissance cars will be Ottawa-bound train No. 37, departing Quebec City at 12:32 p.m. When the train arrives in Montreal at 3:54 p.m., […]
Train fans: Born at the wrong time
Train fans In every generation of train fans, there are those among us that feel they should have been born a decade, or perhaps even a generation, earlier so they could have witnessed railroading now gone and buried. Whether it be a particular branch line, an entire railroad, first-generation diesels, steam, or anything else dear […]
News photos: Restored N&W business car debuts
EAST CHICAGO, Ind. — The Norfolk & Western Business Car 300 Preservation Society unveiled the restored car on Saturday with an open house at repair and maintenance firm Professional Locomotive Services. Along with tours of the car — built in 1917 and modernized in 1955 — and displays of PLS equipment, visitors were treated to […]
Metra launches rider survey to aid in long-term planning
CHICAGO — Metra has launched a rider survey to help shape its future scheduling and infrastructure plans to meet its goal of becoming a “regional rail” operation — one providing more service at all times rather than focusing on weekday commuter-rush trains. The commuter operator has already taken some steps to increase off-peak service, such […]
Norfolk Southern donates depot to East Palestine
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Norfolk Southern on Thursday donated its station in East Palestine to the city, following up on a pledge made last year in the wake of the February derailment and chemical release in the community. The Times Leader newspaper reports that NS CEO Alan Shaw turned over the keys to the building […]
Firefighter injured at Progress Rail plant in Florida
NAPLES, Fla. — One firefighter was injured in a fire at a Progress Rail facility in Naples early this morning (Friday, May 17). WFTX-TV reports 16 people were in the building at the time the fire broke out, but all evacuated safely. Twenty fire units and 41 firefighters responded to the incident at a single-story […]
Amtrak, CN reach agreement on track work for Adirondack route in Canada
ALBANY, N.Y. — Amtrak and Canadian National Railway have reached agreement on track maintenance in Canada to avoid a repeat of the issues that sidelined Adirondack service last summer, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) announced today (Friday, May 17). Trackwork on the CN portion of the Adirondack route in Canada will be performed during the […]
Durango & Silverton two-day steam photo charter with ‘Trains’ Magazine set for October
DURANGO, Colo. — Join the editors of Trains Magazine this year aboard a private steam-powered two-day charter Oct. 18 and 19, on Colorado’s Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The train will operate from Silverton to Durango the first day, with multiple photo stops en route. The train will overnight in Silverton, then return to […]
TSB report details runaway-car incident in CP Toronto Yard
RICHMOND HILL, Ontario — A Canadian Pacific crew applied an insufficient amount of force during a hand-brake test, and therefore did not set enough hand brakes to prevent a runaway-car incident at CP’s Toronto Yard, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada determined in its investigation into a March 13, 2022, incident. The board released its […]
‘Trails and Rails’ programs on Amtrak trains return for 2024
WASHINGTON — National Park Service volunteers from national or historic parks and monuments along Amtrak routes are again be hosting informative programs aboard trains this summer and fall under the “Trails and Rails” program. The table below shows the segments and days of the week where personnel discuss the historical significance of the route’s points […]
NTSB releases preliminary report on April BNSF derailment that closed I-40
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on the April 26 derailment of a BNSF Railway train near the Arizona-New Mexico state line — an incident that led to a breach of tank cars carrying propane and fire that closed Interstate 40. No one was injured in the incident. Interstate […]