A Frisco caboose ride provided a much needed railfan break during my military assignment near Kansas City. My spirits fell when I received orders for my first U.S. Air Force permanent-duty assignment, at the Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base just south of Kansas City, Mo. I had hardly been west of the Appalachian Mountains, and […]
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Amtrak is temporarily increasing the number of its trains that will cross-honor tickets for Connecticut’s Shore Line East commuter service because of Shore Line East schedule changes to accommodate an Amtrak maintenance-of-way project. Shore Line East service will be reduced during that project. The schedule changes and cross-honoring are effective Sept. […]
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit plans to extend its Hudson-Bergen light rail line by 9 miles into Bergen County face a potential two-year delay after the Federal Transit Administration rescinded plans to act on the project’s Environmental Impact Study, saying additional information is needed. The FTA’s decision to rescind its “Notice of Intent” for what […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — Union Pacific trains, as well as those on Metra’s UP West Line, were halted from passing Villa Park, Ill., this evening (Aug. 30) after suspects from a robbery a few miles away in Benseville crashed a vehicle and fled the scene near UP’s tracks on the east side of the town of […]
WASHINGTON — Equal accessibility to onboard amenities for passengers with disabilities is the goal of potential new long-distance railcar designs Amtrak unveiled Wednesday at an in-person and online hearing. Amtrak held the gathering to obtain feedback prior to procurement from the accessibility community regarding plans to replace its existing Superliner and single-level fleet with new […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — The start of Brightline service to Orlando has been further pushed back, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The passenger operator has yet to announce an official first date of service but has been selling tickets for dates in September. It is now offering refunds, upgrades to premium seats, and discounts on Avis rental […]
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society has acquired seven cars built in 1941 for New York Central’s Empire State Express from New York’s Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum for use in its Indiana Rail Experience operation and future excursion use. Estimated cost of restoring the entire fleet of cars is […]
WASHINGTON — Virginia Passenger Rail Authority officials will seek $829 million in federal funding for the project to build a new bridge over the Potomac River, a key portion of the plan to greatly expand passenger rail service by creating separate passenger and freight main lines south of Washington. But the Washington Post reports that, […]
STUART, Fla. — Additional time has been added for rehabilitation work on the St. Lucie River Drawbridge in Stuart, Brightline and Florida East Coast Railway have announced. While intermittent closures were scheduled to continue today (Wednesday, Aug. 30) and Thursday, Aug. 31, an additional extended full closure has now been added on Thursday from 5:30 […]
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Caltrain will introduce four new temporary discount fares as of Sept. 1 to give riders more travel options: a $1 youth pass, a Three-Day Pass, a Family Day Pass, and a Group Day Pass. The $1 Youth Pass provides dollar one-way rides for passengers 18 and under, while the Three-Day Pass […]
CHICAGO — No injuries were reported when a Metra Rock Island District train derailed Monday morning as it approached LaSalle Street Station, halting service on the route to Joliet, Ill., for almost five hours. The Chicago Sun Times reports inbound train No. 704 derailed near 14th Street, less than a mile from its destination, about […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — Amtrak has cancelled or abbreviated routes for a number of trains in the Southeast as a result of Tropical Storm Idalia, now approaching Florida’s Gulf Coast. Orlando-area commuter operator SunRail will also suspend operations as of Tuesday, Aug. 29, until further notice. Tri-Rail and Brightline operations in South Florida are not affected. […]
