FULL SCREEN Jack Ferry collection For a decade, the cover of the Illinois Central system timetable carried illustrations of the Chicago lakefront. All purported to show the view from the top of Great Central Station, which burned in the Great Fire of 1871. The depot’s arched train shed, however, was never rebuilt. FULL SCREEN Detroit […]
Amtrak 188 engineer to stand trial in 2019 NEWSWIRE
PHILADELPHIA – The locomotive engineer at the controls of an Amtrak train that derailed near Philadelphia in 2015 is set to stand trial in September 2019. Eight people died and more than 200 were injured when Amtrak train No. 188 derailment on the Northeast Corridor in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood in May 2015. A National […]
Colorado’s ‘Winter Park Express’ gets a lounge car
DENVER – The Winter Park Express will have a lounge car when it departs Denver for Winter Park, Colo. on Jan. 3. Ever since the weekend ski train began operating in 2016, skiers and snowboarders have been asking Amtrak to sell snacks and beverages onboard the train. This week, Amtrak announced that their wishes would […]
CSX donates turntable to Tennessee town as part of No. 576 restoration NEWSWIRE
WATERTOWN, Tenn. – CSX Transportation has donated a turntable to a small community in Tennessee that could eventually be used by Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway 4-8-4 No. 576, under restoration in nearby Nashville. Earlier this week, Historic Watertown Inc. announced that it had secured the donation of a surplus turntable from CSX. The […]
Federal grant to pay for PTC on part of ‘Chief’ route NEWSWIRE
A Southwest Chief inspection train hosting community leaders pauses at La Junta, Colo, on Aug 4, 2016. A federal grant will pay for the installation of PTC on the Chief’s route between Dodge City, Kan., and Las Animas, Colo., near La Junta. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — In a boost to efforts to maintain the route […]
Federal regulators scrutinize a range of Class I railroad charges NEWSWIRE
Cars will Union Pacific’s West Colton, Calif., yard in April 2014. The railroads hope to make their networks more efficient by incentivizing shippers to release cars more quickly. Brian Schmidt WASHINGTON – Federal regulators are shining a spotlight on Class I railroad demurrage and accessorial charges, which the railroads levy on customers for things such […]
First US-built MBTA Orange Line cars completed NEWSWIRE
MBTA Orange Line cars test in China in 2017. The latest cars in the order are now manufactured in the U.S. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The first of 152 U.S.-built Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Orange Line cars were recently completed by China Railway Rolling Stock Corp. Ltd. (CRRC) in Springfield. MBTA officials, along with Gov. Charlie […]
Former Metro-North president to become Connecticut transportation commissioner NEWSWIRE
HARTFORD, Conn. — Former Metro-North Railroad president Joseph J. Giulietti will become Connecticut’s commissioner of transportation, governor-elect Ned Lamont has announced. The Hartford Courant reports that Lamont said he is looking to the commissioner to implement the governor-elect’s vision of “substationally reducing travel time from New Haven and our other towns to New York City.” […]
FTA finalizes grant for Sound Transit light rail project NEWSWIRE
SEATTLE — Sound Transit and the Federal Transit Administration have finalized an agreement for $1.2 billion in funding for an 8.5-mile extension of its light rail system. The FTA announced the grant on Thursday, after the conclusion of a 30-day congressional review period for the funding agreement announced in November. [See “Sound Transit, FTA reach […]
Government shutdown will affect rail agencies, national parks NEWSWIRE
The Golden Spike National Historic Site in Utah, like other national parks, will be closed if the government shuts down. The Department of Transportation will also be affected. TRAINS: Jim Wrinn WASHINGTON — A partial government shutdown, which could happen tonight, will include the U.S. Department of Transportation and could be felt in several rail-related […]
Indiana awards funds for grade-crossing projects NEWSWIRE
GARY, Ind. — The state will award $121 million in matching funds for grade-crossing separation projects, Gov. Eric Holcomb has announced. Under the state’s Local Trax funding, communities receiving funds must provide 20 percent of the funds for land acquisition and construction. Norfolk Southern, CSX Transportation and Canadian National will also provide $10 million in […]
Metra F59PHIs enter revenue service NEWSWIRE
CHICAGO – The first two of Metra’s 21 former Amtrak F59PHI locomotives have entered service this week. The units, which sport modified Pacific Surfliner paint, were spotted on the Metra-owned Milwaukee District North line leading train No. 2119 for Grayslake. Other recently acquired units will featured modified Amtrak Cascades paint, but those have not yet […]
