Amtrak urges passengers to book early for Thanksgiving

crowds in station

WASHINGTON — Amtrak is advising passengers to book early for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday period to get the best prices and ensure seating, saying it is expecting record-breaking ridership based on early bookings. Last year, the company saw 1.2 million riders during the Thanksgiving season. The company will add cars to Northeast Regional routes between […]

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SEPTA asks for more time for Silverliner IV inspections

Men in high-visibility safety clothing looking at equipment under commuter railcar

PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has asked the Federal Railroad Administration for more time to complete inspections of its Silverliner IV car fleet, a SEPTA spokesman said today (Oct. 29, 2025). Public broadcaster WHYY reports that the SEPTA has asked for an additional two weeks to complete the inspections of the 223 Silverliner […]

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Why modern trains lack traditional signal lights

A diesel locomotive with a red and white striped nose rounds a curve in a forested rock cut

Soon after the first railroad bought the second locomotive it became apparent that some rules of the road were needed. There had to be a way to keep a following locomotive from running into the one ahead and to prevent head-on collisions when locomotives are moving toward each other on a single track. In the […]

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BNSF nears completion of PTC on former Montana Rail Link

A blue Montana Rail Link train works alongside a river with mountains in the background.

MISSOULA, Mont. — BNSF Railway expects to complete installation of positive train control on the former Montana Rail Link by December, concluding a long-running project that predates BNSF’s acquisition of the regional railroad. BNSF said on social media that PTC was implemented on 36 miles of its MRL Subdivision in June, with work in progress […]

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NTSB investigating fatal grade-crossing accident in Elgin, Ill.

National Transportation Safety Board logo

ELGIN, Ill. — The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a fatal collision on Thursday in Elgin involving a Union Pacific locomotive and a landscaping company pickup truck, the agency announced on social media. One person was killed and two were injured in the collision at the State Street grade crossing in Elgin, the Daily […]

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