WASHINGTON — A precipitous decline in business travel during the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an Amtrak “flash” sale celebrating the 20-year anniversary of Acela’s introduction with a $20 fare between any two Northeast Corridor stations served by the high speed train. Billed as the “The Deal of the Decade(s),” the tickets must be booked by […]
WASHINGTON — Intermodal traffic continues to lift overall rail traffic above year-earlier levels in weekly statistics from the Association of American Railroads, with total volume for the week ending Nov. 7, 2020, up 1.3% over the same week in 2019. Weekly intermodal volume was 293,746 containers and trailers, up 10.3% from the same week a […]
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More Tuesday morning rail news: UP announces bonus for union employees who have worked during pandemic Union Pacific will pay a one-time $1,000 bonus to its union employees who have worked at least 30 days during the COVID-19 pandemic, the railroad has announced. “While many fellow citizens were sheltering in place, our craft professionals rolled […]
Tuesday morning preservation and museum news: NS donates historic ‘Marco Polo’ to Southeastern Railway Museum Norfolk Southern is donating private car Marco Polo, used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt while in office, to the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Ga. The car is scheduled to arrive at the museum at 11 a.m. on Nov. 14 […]
Tuesday morning rail news: Commuter rail, light rail among alternatives to be weighed for Santa Cruz, Calif., transit project The comment period for a proposed transit corridor along a rail branch line serving Santa Cruz, Calif., has begun and continues through Nov. 27. Milestone 3 of the Transit Corridor Alternatives Analysis by the Santa Cruz […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National on Wednesday will unveil two locomotives clad in a special paint scheme saluting veterans in Canada and the United States. November 11, which falls on the day the armistice was signed to end World War I in 1918, is Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in Canada. “CN’s two […]
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden may be known as “Amtrak Joe,” but his administration is expected to have an impact on freight railroading, too. During his campaign for the White House, Biden pledged to require two-person crews on freight trains. Rail labor unions have sought a two-person crew regulation as Class I railroads have implemented […]
BOSTON — Significant cuts to commuter rail service — including an end to service after 9 p.m. and on weekends — are part of plans announced Monday by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to address budget shortfalls resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Some peak and off-peak service would also be eliminated, cutting weekday trains from […]
Tuesday afternoon rail news: West Virginia announces new site to track blocked grade crossings The Public Service Commission of West Virginia has launched a new online site to report trains blocking grade crossings. By state law, it is illegal for a train to block a crossing for more than 10 minutes except in the case […]
Monday morning rail news: Canada revises rules on cold-weather speed restrictions for hazardous-material trains Canada’s Minister of Transport on Friday issued an order modifying previous rules regarding train operation in cold weather, basing the new rule on temperatures rather than a winter date range. As with the previous rule, issued in April [see “Canada issues […]
CHICAGO — Metra’s first bike car — a Pullman-Standard coach with seating removed on half of the lower level, creating space for 16 bicycles — made its debut Saturday, a biking-friendly day of unseasonable temperatures in the 70s. Metra unveiled the car on Thursday, saying its debut had been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic […]
