Swiss gauge-changing GPX trains back in service

Black passenger train pushed by bright green locomotive in mountain community

INTERLAKEN, Switzerland — The innovative Golden Pass Express gauge-changing train is back in service after through operations were suspended in February. The train offers one-seat rides from Montreaux, on the shores of Lake Geneva, to Interlaken in the heart of the Swiss Alps. It runs on the mountainous meter-gauge Montreux Berner Oberland Bahn (abbreviated MOB) […]

Read More…

South Carolina short line begins construction of new route

Map of planned rail line

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. — Palmetto Railways, the short line owned and operated by the state of South Carolina, has begun construction of a new rail line to serve the Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville and the adjacent Volvo auto plant. The 22.7-mile line will cost $185 million and take about 2½ years to build, Palmetto […]

Read More…

No one hurt as MBTA Green Line train derails

Detail of MBTA rapid transit map

BOSTON — No injuries were reported after a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line train derailed today (Monday, June 12), the Boston Globe reports. About 30 people were on board the trolley on the Green Lin’s B Branch when the center wheelset of the articulated light-rail trainset derailed at low speed near Packard’s Corner. The […]

Read More…

Pittsburgh’s ‘Terrible Trolley’ comes home

Black and yellow PCC trolley car with Pittsburgh Steelers lettering

WASHINGTON, Pa. — An icon of Pittsburgh transit and sports history, the “Terrible Trolley,” has returned to Western Pennsylvania after 25 years in Ohio, with plans for its restoration to operating condition. The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum has acquired former Pittsburgh Railways Co. Presidents’ Conference Committee (PCC) car No. 1713, a 1949 product of the St. […]

Read More…

Norfolk Southern rail labor locomotive makes debut at town hall

ATLANTA — At a companywide town hall meeting that focused on safety and the importance of labor-management collaboration, Norfolk Southern last week debuted a locomotive that includes the logos of all 12 railroad labor unions. AC44C6M No. 4693 served as a backdrop for the event, which was held on Thursday at Bellevue Yard in Ohio […]

Read More…

Gardner’s bonuses, Amtrak’s lack of profitability attacked at House hearing: Analysis

Train with mixed group of locomotives and passenger cars

WASHINGTON — Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner was repeatedly asked to defend his near-$500,000 annual salary, and the company’s practice of giving out six-figure performance bonuses in light of the company’s reliance on more than $1 million in annual taxpayer support during today’s hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. But there were numerous other […]

Read More…

CPKC employees will select railway’s new locomotive livery

CALGARY, Alberta – CPKC employees will select the railway’s new locomotive livery through an online survey, a company spokesman says. The SurveyMonkey poll asks the railway’s 20,345 employees to choose one of five proposed paint schemes for CPKC locomotives. Canadian Pacific SD70ACU No. 7001 serves as the model for the liveries. Each of the five […]

Read More…

Overcoming Amtrak’s equipment shortage challenges: Special report

Passenger train with white, green and brown locomotive at station

Second of two parts Part 1 of this report, available here, examined how lack of capacity has adversely impacted Amtrak’s long-distance trains compared with the mobility the company has been able to provide in the Northeast Corridor. Part 2 considers possible solutions. Foreseeable shortfall The shortage of active bilevels was evident when deployment plans for […]

Read More…