San Francisco Chief connection

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Santa Fe trains 93, the West Texas Express, and 94, the Eastern Express, were the Amarillo–Lubbock connection for the San Francisco Chief. Between 1955 and 1965, the trains looked like this: an E8M (rebuilt from an E1), baggage-express car, coach, and sleeper. Fred M. Springer photo […]

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NTSB issues final report on 2024 MBTA Green Line derailment

Aerial view of derailed light rail train

WASHINGTON — An operator’s failure to obey a stop signal was the probable cause of an Oct. 1, 2024, derailment of a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority light rail train in Somerville, Mass., the National Transportation Safety Board said in its final investigation report released this month. The train’s excessive speed was a contributing factor, according […]

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New York MTA orders 378 additional subway cars

Subway train on curve in open-air segment

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board has approved purchase of 378 R268 subway cars from Kawasaki Railcar under a contract valued at $1.507 billion. The approval came during the board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Tim Mulligan, the MTA’s chief of rolling stock, said the purchase would complete replacement of R68 and R68a […]

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Amtrak urges passengers to book early for Thanksgiving

crowds in station

WASHINGTON — Amtrak is advising passengers to book early for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday period to get the best prices and ensure seating, saying it is expecting record-breaking ridership based on early bookings. Last year, the company saw 1.2 million riders during the Thanksgiving season. The company will add cars to Northeast Regional routes between […]

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SEPTA asks for more time for Silverliner IV inspections

Men in high-visibility safety clothing looking at equipment under commuter railcar

PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has asked the Federal Railroad Administration for more time to complete inspections of its Silverliner IV car fleet, a SEPTA spokesman said today (Oct. 29, 2025). Public broadcaster WHYY reports that the SEPTA has asked for an additional two weeks to complete the inspections of the 223 Silverliner […]

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Why modern trains lack traditional signal lights

A diesel locomotive with a red and white striped nose rounds a curve in a forested rock cut

Soon after the first railroad bought the second locomotive it became apparent that some rules of the road were needed. There had to be a way to keep a following locomotive from running into the one ahead and to prevent head-on collisions when locomotives are moving toward each other on a single track. In the […]

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MTA completes revamp of Grand Central-42nd Street subway station

Wide view of revamped New York subway station

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has completed a five-year revamp of the Grand Central-42nd Street station, the second busiest in the New York City Transit subway system, and says the extensive remodeling was finished on time and approximately $46.5 million under budget. The project — for a station served by the 4, 5, […]

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