Jim and David talk about some of the week’s news. Check back weekly as Trains editors discuss some of the top stories from Trains News Wire. […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Reading & Northern announces new Santa Train plans NEWSWIRE
A Reading & Northern locomotive awaits action at the Reading (Pa.) Outer Station in October 2018. The railroad’s new Santa Train schedule includes 10 days of operations from the station, as well as trains at four other sites. Scott A. Hartley PORT CLINTON, Pa. — Reading & Northern has announced new plans for Santa Train […]
Report estimates costs of Amtrak on-time performance woes
WASHINGTON — Amtrak could see notable financial gains from even a relatively slight improvement in on-time performance and significant gains with more substantial improvements, according to a report the passenger railroad has welcomed as an indication of the costs it incurs when host railroads fail to give its trains operating priority. The report by the […]
VRE to seek new CEO NEWSWIRE
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Virginia Railway Express will begin a search for a new chief operating officer after announcing today that the VRE Operations Board and current CEO Doug Allen “have agreed to part ways.” Allen became VRE’s CEO in September 2012 after stints at Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Capital Metro in Austin, Texas. “Doug […]
Weekend track work interrupts Coaster, Pacific Surfliner service NEWSWIRE
A Coaster commuter train negotiates Miramar Hill on its way north from San Diego to Oceanside. Coaster and Amtrak service between Oceanside and San Diego will be shut down this weekend for track work. TRAINS: David Lassen SAN DIEGO — Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and Coaster commuter train service will not operate this weekend and next […]
BNSF Railway aims to smooth intermodal volume with pricing incentives NEWSWIRE
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has taken another step to wring more capacity out of its existing intermodal network: This week it launched a day of the week pricing system that aims to smooth peaks and valleys in volume. Currently half of the railroad’s intermodal loads are delivered to terminals between noon on Wednesday […]
Connecticut governor’s plan would cut Metro-North travel times, fund new equipment
HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont wants to reduce Metro-North travel times to and from New York by up to 15 minutes, part of a $5 billion plan to upgrade commuter rail service in the state, the Hartford Courant reports. The commuter-rail plan is part of a larger transportation package, yet to be unveiled, […]
CP announces Holiday Train schedule, performers NEWSWIRE
Canadian Pacific has announced the 2019 schedule for its U.S. and Canada Holiday Trains. The 2017 train is shown in Pleasant Prairie, Wis. TRAINS: David Lassen CALGARY, Alberta — Menards, N.Y.; Caledonia, Wis.; and Ossian, Iowa, will be new stops this year for the Canadian Pacific Holiday train, which announced its 2019 schedule and performers […]
Metra tests security screening equipment NEWSWIRE
CHICAGO — Metra is testing a new security screening system at several downtown Chicago stations this week, the Chicago Tribune reports. The heat scanner, on loan from the Transportation Security Adminstration, is being used today (Thursday, Oct. 17) at the Ogilvie Transportation Center after tests Tuesday and Wednesday at two Metra Electric stations, Millennium and […]
Norfolk Southern workers re-assemble washed out Missouri bridge NEWSWIRE
Norfolk Southern website As Norfolk Southern crews work round-the-clock, the railroad estimates a mid-November re-opening of a bridge between Kansas City and Moberly, Mo., destroyed October 1 by flood and debris on the Grand River near Brunswick, Mo. As an alternate route, the Surface Transportation Board on Friday granted NS trackage rights on a parallel […]
Software issues blamed for latest delay in NJ Transit PTC implementation NEWSWIRE
NJ Transit ALP-45DP 4508 leads an inbound Montclair-Boonton Line train at Montclair State University. Positive train control testing on this line and the Morris and Essex Line will be delayed because of PTC software issues. Ralph Spielman NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit’s challenges in implementing positive train controls have hit another snag, pushing back planned […]
Sound Transit light rail lines to change names NEWSWIRE
SEATTLE — Sound Transit’s two light-rail systems are getting new names. Presently, the Seattle regional transit agency operates a 22-mile north-south line from the University of Washington through downtown to Angle Lake, south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. It also operates a 1.6-mile light-rail line in Tacoma, from Freighthouse Square to downtown. But Sound Transit is […]
