DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa legislators are considering a bill requiring defect detectors on the state’s branch line, the latest example of state actions to regulate railroads in the wake of last year’s derailment and toxic-chemical release in East Palestine, Ohio. Senate File 512, introduced by state Sen. Tom Shipley (R-Corning, Iowa) requires defect detectors […]
NORTH CONWAY, N.H. – Cruise-ship passengers will soon be riding Conway Scenic Railroad’s trains over its Mountain Division through picturesque Crawford Notch in New Hampshire’s 6,000-foot-high White Mountains. Service is expected to begin in June. The railroad will offer ship patrons another option for shore excursions when they debark at Portland, Maine, a popular port […]
BOSTON — A 10-day shutdown of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Red Line between the Alewife and Harvard stations is the centerpiece of MBTA’s plans for major maintenance projects in February, the latest phase in a more than year-long effort to eliminate the accumulated slow orders on the agency’s rail transit system. Also, an 18-day […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Railroad executives will meet with U.S. and Mexican customs officials next month to discuss how they can work together to keep vital rail border crossings open amid the surge in migrants crossing the Rio Grande. The railroad bridges linking Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, with Mexico were shut down for four […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration today announced a final rule requiring railroads to provide emergency escape breathing apparatuses for train crew members and other employees who could be at risk in the event of a hazardous material release — a regulation stemming from last year’s incident in East Palestine, Ohio. The rule is scheduled […]
WASHINGTON — A supervisor operating an out-of-service train lost radio communication with his flagger and did not receive a message to stop, passing a red signal and colliding with another train in a Jan. 4 incident involving two trains on New York City Transit’s No. 1 subway line, according to the preliminary accident report issued […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink commuter rail service has once again been suspended in the San Clemente area because of landslide concerns, a long-running issue in the area over the last two years. The advisory page on the Surfliner website says tracks have been closed near the San Clemente Pier “until […]
BRUNSWICK, Maine — A proposal to use a Rail Diesel Car to offer year-round connections on a former Maine Central branch line from Rockland, Maine to a rendezvous with Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority’s Amtrak-operated Downeaster at Brunswick, Maine, is being re-evaluated after the RDC suffered a debilitating breakdown last fall. Midcoast Railservice, the carrier with […]
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit is proposing fare increases of 15% for fiscal 2025 to address a projected $106.6 million budget deficit, the agency announced Wednesday, and will hold a series of 10 hearings on the proposal beginning March 4. The fare increase would take effect July 1, 2024. The proposal also includes annual 3% […]
FOLLANSBEE, W.Va — Empire Diversified Energy, a holding company involved in sustainable energy and logistics, will establish a short line railroad to serve the Port of West Virginia, the company announced Wednesday. Empire River Rail intends to be a clean-energy system and is part of the effort to make the port in Follansbee, on the […]
CANCÚN, Mexico — Ticket sales for the Maya Train passenger rail operation have been halted barely three weeks after service was inaugurated between Cancun and Palenque on Jan. 1, the Cancún Sun reports, following “significant technical issues” on Friday, Jan. 19. Operations have been stopped indefinitely while workers perform inspections to determine the cause of […]
BOSTON — A second trainset of equipment built by China’s CRRC has begun running on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Red Line — three years after the first such train entered operation, the website Streetsblog Mass reports. The second trainset entered service earlier this month, an MBTA spokesman confirmed to the website. The first had […]
