Pacific Surfliner adds service for X Games in Ventura

Bilevel passenger car wrapped with advertising for X Games sporting event

VENTURA, Calif. — For the second straight year, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner is adding service to Ventura while the city hosts the X Games sporting competition. The additional trains will run June 28-30; during the same period, reservations will be required on the Surfliners because of anticipated additional ridership, and the Rail 2 Rail and Metrolink […]

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Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad CEO announces retirement

Man sitting in passenger car

PENINSULA, Ohio — Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad President and CEO Joe Mazur will retire from the heritage railroad as of Sept. 30, the railroad announced Thursday. Mazur joined the railroad in March 2017 following a career in arena management and as President/CEO of International Soap Box Derby, the Akron, Ohio, organization where he had worked […]

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News photo: Mexico, meet La Empresa

Steam engine on bridge

LAREDO, Texas — The Final Spike Steam Tour has entered the third country on its itinerary. This morning, the train celebrating the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger crossed into Mexico, a historic moment underscoring the three-nation linkage created by the CPKC merger and marking the first trip into that country for CP 4-6-4 No. 2816. […]

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CN expands firefighting fleet with addition of two improved train sets

MONTREAL — Canadian National has beefed up its ability to battle wildfires with the addition of two new firefighting trains. The Trident and Neptune trains, unveiled yesterday, will join CN’s original firefighting train, Poseidon, in combating fires along the railway’s right of way, particularly in isolated areas. “Our priority is to maintain the integrity of […]

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Metrolink brings back $15 Summer Day Pass

Silver, teal, and black locomotive pushes train out of station

LOS ANGELES — Metrolink has revived its $15 Summer Day Pass, a seasonal weekday special fare available through Friday, Aug. 30. The special pass, first offered in 2022, is offered alongside the agency’s $10 weekend day pass, which remains available through the summer. The Summer Day Pass will be available on all weekdays except July […]

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Norfolk Southern short line project leads to carload volume growth

Train with two black locomotives on spur

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern and 40 of its shortline connections have produced outsized growth in carload traffic this year through a program that aims to improve interchange consistency and reliability. The Short Line Performance Project, which began as a pilot with a handful of railroads last July, has seen interchange volume grow 9% since March […]

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Study: Derailment risk rises with the number of cars in a freight train

The risk of derailment increases with freight train length, according to an academic study published today, which found that a 200-car train is 24% more likely to derail than a 50-car train. The study — by researchers from Brigham Young University, Georgetown University, and Virginia Tech — analyzed Federal Railroad Administration rail equipment accident data […]

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