Amtrak breaks ground on new Philadelphia maintenance facility

Aerial view of rail yard showing planned new construction

PHILADELPHIA — Amtrak broke ground Friday to mark construction of its new heavy maintenance facility at Philadelphia’s Penn Coach Yard, a $462 million project slated for completion in 2027. Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner, Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Amit Bose, and Samantha Silverberg, White House deputy assistant to the President for infrastructure, were among those on […]

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RRHMA restoring Union Pacific café diner lounge

Yellow passenger car in shop building

SILVIS, Ill. — Railroading Heritage of Midwest America has begun restoration work on former Union Pacific café-diner-lounge No. 5016. RRHMA is advertising that tours of the car to see work in progress will be offered with the purchase of tickets to the Trains and Tractors event at Silvis Oct. 18 and 19. Plans are to […]

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Alaska Railroad proves its mettle

A yellow and navy blue locomotive pulls a freight train through a forested setting

Early last spring, it was time to plan a summer vacation and get to some unfinished business. Alison and I agreed on the overall goal: get to Alaska. For her it was the call of Denali National Park and the fjords along the coast south of Seward. For me (no surprise), it was the chance […]

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Fort Wayne society names Lynch as executive director

Man in period rail garb in front of steam locomotive

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, known for its stewardship of Nickel Plate Road steam engine No. 765 and the Indiana Rail Experience rail tourism program, has named Kelly Lynch as its first executive director — the first paid employee in the organization’s 52-year history. Lynch has been a member of […]

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MBTA Green Line resumes operation after Tuesday derailment (updated)

Aerial view of derailed light rail trainset

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Service resumed late this morning (Thursday, Oct. 3) after a day and a half of shuttle-bus substitutions on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Green Line in the wake of Tuesday’s derailment of a Green Line train near Lechmere station in Cambridge. On Wednesday, the MBTA had said it was “unclear” when service […]

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Amtrak awards contract for Seattle maintenance facility

Illustration of new building at rail yard

SEATTLE — Amtrak has awarded a construction contract for upgrades to its King Street Yard in Seattle, meant to prepare the facility for arrival of next-generation Amtrak Airo equipment for the Amtrak Cascades route as well as improving maintenance for long-distance trains that use the facilities. PCL Construction Services will lead design and construction on […]

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California governor signs LOSSAN Corridor legislation

Cab car leads passenger train along track next to ocean

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s governor has signed legislation giving the state more authority in managing the LOSSAN Rail Corridor, the route of Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner between San Diego and San Luis Obispo, as well as Metrolink and Coaster commuter trains. SB 1098, sponsored by state Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas), allows the state’s secretary of transportation […]

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MBTA Green Line remains disrupted following derailment

Small segment of MBTA transit map

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Service on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Green Line remains disrupted today (Oct. 2) following a Tuesday derailment of a Green Line train — an incident the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. The MBTA says in a post on social media site X that shuttle buses continue to replace service between […]

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