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ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota legislators have passed a bill withdrawing $77 million in funding for development of Northern Lights Express passenger service between the Twin Cities and Duluth, Minn., with one lawmaker calling the proposed rail service “effectively dead.” Along with defunding the passenger project, House File 1143 also cut special education funds by […]
Fifty years ago, in the May 1975 Trains Magazine, prolific author William D. Middleton visited New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. His 14 page article opened on a down note, with Middleton writing: Grand Central’s great long-distance trains are gone now. deposed by the airplane and the automobile: and no longer do the rich, the […]
OLYMPIA, Wash. — A bill calling for major expansion of Amtrak Cascades service, as well as improved travel times, is awaiting the signature of Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson after its passage by the state legislature. House Bill 1857 sets a target of a minimum of 14 daily round trips between Seattle and Portland, Ore., and […]
Interested in riding the railroad? One of the best windows on the railroad world are passenger trains, and you have plenty of options. Amtrak, a government corporation that took over nearly all U.S. intercity passenger trains from private railroads in 1971, today operates a 21,000-mile network that includes 500 stations in 46 states served by […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Metropolitan Council, which oversees transit and other governmental functions in the seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, has approved a plan to lease surplus Northstar commuter rail equipment to Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Amtrak. The Minnesota Star Tribune reports that the council, at a May 14 meeting, agreed to lease […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration is seeking input from tunneling firm Boring Co., founded and controlled by Elon Musk, regarding construction of a new Northeast Corridor rail tunnel in Baltimore for which Amtrak has already begun construction activities. The news comes shortly after Amtrak’s decision to eliminate or not fill 450 managerial positions. Earlier […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX was able to repair flood damage to former Baltimore & Ohio main lines in the Cumberland, Md., area overnight, allowing freight and Amtrak service to resume. The CSX routes sustained damage during heavy rainstorms on Tuesday [see “Flooding knocks out key CSX routes …,” Trains News Wire, May 15, 2025]. “We’re […]
WASHINGTON — Norfolk Southern and the Justice Department remain in settlement talks over the railroad’s handling of Amtrak’s Crescent. The Justice Department hauled NS to federal court in July, contending that NS regularly fails to give the Crescent preference over freight trains, leading to delays that harm and inconvenience passengers, impede passenger rail transportation, and […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation has obligated more than $157 million in funding, allowing construction to move forward on the final phase of the Springfield (Ill.) Rail Improvements Project. The project involves relocating some rail lines from Third Street to 10th Street in the state capital, as well as several grade-crossing separations. The […]
WASHINGTON — Prospective Amtrak board of directors nominee Robert Gleason made clear in his opening statement at a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing today (May 13, 2025) that he is committed “to bringing better passenger rail service to small towns across America.” At the same hearing, former Pan Am Railways president David Fink stressed his […]
MINNEAPOLIS – Amtrak and Trinity Railway Express want to lease spare locomotives and coaches from Minnesota’s beleaguered Northstar commuter operation. Amtrak would like to use a Northstar MP36PH-3C locomotive, three coaches, and a cab car in Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha service. The equipment would help replace capacity lost when Amtrak sidelined its Horizon fleet due to safety […]
SEATTLE – Starting today, the Mount Bachelor, the Talgo Series 8 trainset that has been out of service since its cab car was impaled by a tree in a November storm, is back in service with the other Talgo, the Mount Jefferson, on Cascades service linking Vancouver, British Columbia, and Eugene, Ore. The move will […]
