Federal directives order MBTA to address safety issues

Light rail vehicle in subway station

WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has issued four special directives to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, giving the transit agency periods ranging from 24 hours to 30 days to address safety concerns. Those concerns address procedural issues revealed by a series of five runaway-train incidents in yards since February 2021; maintenance procedures and programs; […]

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Why I love the Pennsylvania RR GG1 electric locomotive

GG1 north of Aberdeen

Pennsylvania RR GG1 electric locomotive My favorite locomotive has long been the Pennsylvania RR GG1 electric. This goes back to my childhood when I would visit my maternal grandparents in Aberdeen, Md., along what’s now known as the Northeast Corridor. After dinner at grandma and grandpa’s, we’d walk a few blocks to the grade crossing […]

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Pittsburgh introduces new name, color scheme for transit system

Logo of Pittsburgh Regional Transit

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh’s public transit has a new name. The Port Authority of Allegheny County has rebranded itself as Pittsburgh Regional Transit, the agency announced in a Thursday press conference at its Gateway light rail station in downtown Pittsburgh. Along with the new name comes a new logo: the letters PRT in yellow circles. The […]

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No injuries reported in MBTA low-speed derailment (updated)

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority logo

BEVERLY, Mass. — A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter train suffered what the agency called a “low-speed upright derailment” on Wednesday afternoon, leading to delays during the Wednesday evening and Thursday morning rush hours. The Boston Globe reports 10 passengers were on board the inbound train when it derailed about 4 p.m. near the Beverly […]

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East Broad Top begins restoring main line south

Two men talking on bridge with work on rail line in background

SALTILLO, Pa. – The long-awaited restoration of the narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad’s main line south – dormant for nearly seven decades – is under way. A three-pronged approach involves EBT Foundation, Inc., full-time staff; a volunteer track gang led by Gene Tucker of the Friends of the East Broad Top; and a crew […]

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CSX begins operating New England regional Pan Am Railways

PanAm_Fs_Hartley

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Pan Am Railways is now a fallen flag. The New England regional officially became part of CSX Transportation on Wednesday, six weeks after the Surface Transportation Board approved the acquisition. “We are excited to welcome Pan Am’s experienced railroaders into the CSX family and look forward to the improvements we will make […]

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East Side Access terminal gets new name

Four people in train station holding up T-shirts

NEW YORK — The New York City terminal for Long Island Rail Road’s East Side Access project has a new name: Grand Central Madison. The long-delayed, $11.2 billion project to build a new LIRR station in midtown Manhattan, deep beneath Grand Central Terminal, received the new name in a Tuesday press conference featuring New York […]

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