ALBANY, N.Y. — Amtrak and Canadian National Railway have reached agreement on track maintenance in Canada to avoid a repeat of the issues that sidelined Adirondack service last summer, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) announced today (Friday, May 17). Trackwork on the CN portion of the Adirondack route in Canada will be performed during the […]
BOSTON — Recent work on the Red Line eliminated another 13 speed restrictions, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says, as work continues on its year-long effort to address the backlog of slow orders on its rapid-transit network. The work saw the rail line shut down between the Park Street and JFK/UMass stations between May 2-10, […]
KEARNY, N.J. — The Portal North Bridge, the structure replacing the 114-year swing bridge that has long been an issue for Northeast Corridor rail operations, has reached 50% completion, NJ Transit and Amtrak announced on Monday. The current bridge over the Hackensack River and frequently fails to lock back into place after it is opened, […]
GARY, Ind. — Few rail rehabilitation projects can truthfully claim “better than ever” when physical plant and service improvements are completed, but South Shore Line commuter service appears to be one. As Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District President Mike Noland told the crowd of gathered in a tent in the parking lot of the newly […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — Amtrak’s Adirondack will be cancelled north of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. between May 20 and June 29, passengers already ticketed on the New York City-Montreal train were informed this week. Anyone trying to book a reservation for those dates on Amtrak’s website receives the message, “We do not have any services between the […]
FORT MADISON, Iowa — BNSF Railway’s bridge across the Mississippi River between Fort Madison and Niota, Ill., was briefly closed today after having been struck by a barge, but has been reopened, according to authorities. The Hancock County (Ill.) Sheriff’s Office reported the closure at about 1:40 p.m.; police in Fort Madison posted on Facebook […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Transportation has awarded a total of $9.6 million to 11 freight rail projects under the Minnesota Rail Service improvement program, the agency announced this week. Funding, approved during the 2023 legislative special session, supports economic development in regions across the state. “Improving Minnesota’s rail service gives local […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Use of some 500,000 cubic yards of sand as a buffer has been added to the Orange County Transportation Authority’s plans to protect the Surf Line through San Clemente, the Orange County Register reports. The route used by Metrolink commuter trains, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliners, and BNSF freight traffic has been plagued […]
WASHINGTON — A Union Pacific track maintenance manager was killed when he was struck by an excavator operated by a contract worker, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on a fatal April 11 incident near McNeil, Ark. The incident occurred about 6:22 p.m. as a work crew was replacing a culvert on […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has eliminated all speed restrictions from the rapid-transit Blue Line as a result of a maintenance shutdown that concluded on Tuesday, April 30, the agency announced Wednesday. A total of 19 speed restrictions were eliminated over a 5-mile stretch of the Blue Line during work that began April […]
MOLINE, Ill. — Among the 69 projects receiving Federal Railroad Administration Corridor Identification and Development Program grants last December was a familiar route: Chicago-Quad Cities. Familiar because that route, in addition to being among the recipients of the $500,000 Corridor ID grant [see “Full list of passenger routes …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 8, 2023], […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s extended schedule for its current Blue Line track work is having a ripple effect on upcoming plans for the Red Line. The planned shutdown of the Red Line between Park Street and the JFK/UMass stations will now be held May 2-10, beginning one day later than originally planned. […]
