WASHINGTON — Amtrak will add a second daily Northeast Regional departure from Roanoke, Va., as of July 11, creating a schedule with morning and afternoon trains in both directions between Roanoke, Washington, and other Northeast Corridor destinations. Trains will now depart Roanoke at 6:32 a.m. (arriving in Washington at 11:34 a.m.) and 4:30 p.m. (arriving […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has taken the first step in the procurement process to replace Baltimore’s B&P Tunnel, issuing a Request for Letters of Interest for the new tunnel’s Southern Approach construction package. The $1 billion-plus Southern Approach package is the first of three major construction contracts for the project to replace the 1.4-mile tunnel dating […]
CAMDEN, N.J. — A federal judge has barred the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has been barred from initiating future strikes against NJ Transit following a job action that shut down commuter rail operations last Friday. NorthJersey.com reports the emergency order issued by U.S. District Judge Christine O’Hearn also requires the union to immediately […]
BOSTON — Federal safety directives have led to service cuts for some Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority subway lines. The website Streetsblog Mass reports that as of today (Monday, June 20), weekday service on the Red, Orange, and Blue lines is being reduced to weekend levels. Trains will run every 7 to 8 minutes on the […]
CONWAY, N.H. — Conway Scenic Railroad’s 0-6-0 steam locomotive No. 7470, Dwight Smith, was on display under steam on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 19, as part of the preparations for resuming regularly scheduled passenger moves with the locomotive later in the 2022 season. The locomotive, built by Canada’s Grand Trunk Railway at its Point Saint Charles […]
NEWARK, N.J. — A NJ Transit spokesman said the agency would “explore all legal remedies” in the wake of a sudden shutdown of all rail service last Friday, June 17, as a result of what it called “an illegal job action” by members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. After cancelling more than […]
BROWNVILLE, Maine — The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will expand its route this year, adding at least one stop in Maine, the Bangor Daily News reports. The addition reflects CP’s 2020 purchase of the Central Maine & Quebec Railway, in which it regained a route across Maine it had previously sold as part of reestablishing […]
Nearly new Central Vermont GP9 4557 leads freight train 201, whose first car is a baggage car, through the old wooden trainshed at Essex Junction, Vt., in 1957. The venerable structure was demolished by 1960. Jim Shaughnessy photo […]
Alco RS27 failure: It’s tough when professional engineers create a decent locomotive that builds on successes, and pitfalls, of the past and still nobody really wants it. That was the Alco RS27, also referred to as the DL640. Its 16-cylinder, 251B prime mover pushed out 2,400 hp. Coincidentally, only 27 were built between December 1959 […]
BARRE, Vt. — Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express will extend service from its current northern endpoint of Rutland to Burlington, Vt., with additional stops in Vergennes and Middlebury, as of July 29, 2022, the Vermont Agency of Transportation has announced. The extension follows extensive work to upgrade track infrastructure between Rutland and Burlington to accommodate higher train […]
NEW YORK — A subway rider died early Thursday after being caught between a train and station platform, falling onto the tracks, according to New York’s transit agency — a description which contradicted initial reports that he had been dragged to his death after being caught in a train doorway. The New York Times reports […]
WASHINGTON — DC Metrorail will return eight trainsets of its 7000-series railcars to service today, a step forward to address an equipment shortage created when the cars were sidelined after an October derailment. The Washington Post reports the 64 cars are being returned to service under an agreement reached in May, but the return of […]
