BUSSNANG, Switzerland — No one has ever thought of cog railways as fast. Stadler and the meter-gauge Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn railway are working to change that. The two companies on Tuesday unveiled what they say is the world’s fastest rack-and-pinion railway, operating on the MGB branch line connecting Andermatt and Göshenen, Switzerland. The Stadler Orion […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak will begin restoring Borealis service between Chicago and St. Paul, Minn., on Thursday, March 27, using Superliner equipment in place of the Horizon cars sidelined because of corrosion issues. Meanwhile, bus substitution for about half of the trains on the Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha route will continue “until further notice.” Some 70 Horizon coaches […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak trains on several routes have been cancelled after the company removed its fleet of Horizon passenger cars from service because of concerns over corrosion, raising the possibility of long-term service disruptions. In a statement issued at 9 a.m. today (March 26, 2025), the company said, “We discovered corrosion in several Horizon railcars […]
Crowds have gathered at Tacoma, Wash., on June 29, 1947, to witness the departure of the Milwaukee Road’s Olympian Hiawatha on its first run to Seattle, Minneapolis, and Chicago. John F. Endler Jr. photo […]
WASHINGTON — Passengers on a recent Amtrak Northeast Regional train and at Washington Union Station may have been exposed to measles, according to District of Columbia health officials. An advisory from DC Health says passengers aboard trip Northeast Regional train No. 175 on Wednesday, March 19, may have been exposed from 7:30 p.m., when the […]
The latest Infrastructure Report Card from the American Society of Civil Engineers gives rail a B- grade, which was above the C average given to American infrastructure overall. The report recommends that railroads continue to harden their physical plants to better resist increasingly frequent, longer duration, and more powerful natural disasters. “Rail lines face considerable […]
SEATTLE — Sound Transit’s board will vote on the appointment of Dow Constantine as its new CEO at its meeting on Thursday, March 27. The agency announced Monday (March 24) that Constantine, currently King County Executive and part of its 18-member board, was its preferred candidate. The board had selected that top candidate at meeting […]
In this episode, David demonstrates a simple process for plotting the track plan for the HO scale East Troy Industrial Park (ETIP) model railroad onto the essential layer of subroadbed material. After measuring twice, he then shows the next steps to carefully cutting out the parts and pieces needed to assemble a foundation for layout […]
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The strike by 1,500 Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority workers will continue after members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 voted down the latest offer from the VTA board. Public broadcaster KQED reports that in voting today (Monday, March 24) more than 80% rejected the updated offer including 11% in pay […]
BOSTON — Massachusetts’ South Coast Rail commuter operation is now officially in service. The 37-mile addition to the MBTA commuter rail network launched today (March 24, 2025), with the Fall River Herald News reporting that well over 100 people were on hand to catch the first train, a scheduled 4:27 a.m. departure from New Bedford. […]
SEATTLE — Amtrak maintenance issues that caused cancellation of Sounder commuter service spilled over into Cascades intercity departures, with buses substituting for Seattle-Eugene, Ore., service because of a shortage of serviceable equipment. Meanwhile, Amtrak’s eastbound California Zephyr tried to fight its way through a dangerous Nebraska blizzard — and lost. Those were among the operational […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — The Canadian government has added to its financial commitment to the Hudson Bay Railway and the Port of Churchill, Manitoba, increasing its funding to Ca$175 million over the next five years. The funding announced Friday, March 21, will provide $125 million for operation and maintenance of the 627-mile railway, with a main […]
