News photos: BNSF passenger special on Raton line

Passenger train led by two black and orange locomotives

BNSF Railway ran a special passenger movement between Kansas City and Albuquerque, N.M., last week, via the Raton and Glorieta subdivisions, in anticipation of the return of a weekly freight movement over part of the line. Officially an engineering special, the movement saw CEO Katie Farmer and some of her staff were on board the […]

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Chairman of Honolulu transit agency board suddenly resigns

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation logo

HONOLULU, Hawaii — The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s board chairman has resigned suddenly, two years before the end of his term. Honolulu Civil Beat reports Toby Martyn resigned Friday, with HART saying the move was for personal reasons, and that Martyn refused to discuss the move when reached by phone. Martyn joined the board […]

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Brightline acquires 110-acre site for Las Vegas station

Map showing location of planned Brightline West Las Vegas station

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Brightline has purchased 110 acres at the south end of the Las Vegas strip for the terminal for its planned high speed rail line to Southern California, the company has announced. “Today’s announcement represents another important milestone for the project and is tangible evidence of our commitment and progress,” Brightline Holdings […]

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Digest: Canada’s TSB to investigate seasonal increase in grade-crossing accidents

Transportation Safety Board of Canada logo

Transportation Safety Board to investigate winter increase in grade-crossing accidents The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is opening an investigation to determine why grade-crossing accidents increase during winter months. The agency’s statistics show such accidents increase by 61% in non-vacation winter months (January and February) compared with non-vacation, non-winter months (May, June and September). Along […]

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Digest: Canada increases fines for rail trespassing, interfering with operations

Transport Canada logo

Canadian government stiffens fines for rail trespassing, interfering with operations The Canadian government is increasing fines for trespassing onto railroad property and interfering with railway operations. Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced Wednesday that fines for trespassing will increase from $100 to $500, while the fine for not giving way at railway crossings will increase […]

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BNSF Railway working to clear congestion on Southern Transcon

Double-stack container train passing maintenance equipment

FORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway says it’s working to clear a backlog of traffic on its busy Southern Transcon route linking Southern California and Chicago after a series of extreme weather events and a derailment. The weather included record high temperatures around 120 degrees and high winds on the western end of the Transcon, and […]

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Brightline West bond effort pushed back to 2022

Rendering of green and white high speed train

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The effort to finance the Brightline West high speed rail line between Las Vegas, Nev., and Victorville, Calif., will wait until 2022. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Brightline spokesman Ben Porritt said the plan to seek funding through private activity bonds was being pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and […]

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Four light rail projects receive federal grants

Tacoma_LightRail_Lassen

WASHINGTON — Four light rail projects are among the 22 which have received a total of $250 million in funding under the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants program. Rail projects receiving grants are: — $20.7 million to Seattle’s Sound Transit for the 2.4-mile Hilltop extension of the Tacoma Link light rail project. — $17.4 […]

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Digest: Second Missouri River Runner to resume July 19

Amtrak logo.

Missouri River Runner gets second round trip for remainder of year as of July 19 Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner will restore its second daily round trip as of July 19. State funding and federal coronavirus relief funds will maintain the two-round-trip schedule between St. Louis and Kansas City through the remainder of 2021. “We appreciate […]

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Member video: Following Southern Pacific’s Sunset Limited

Peter Atonna layout track view

Name: Peter Atonna Railroad Name: Seligman & Paulden Lines 
Location: Arizona 
Scale: O Theme: Railroad running through Arizona serving its big and little towns Description: The Sunset Limited was the Southern Pacific’s premier streamlined passenger train passing through Douglas, Ariz. on its way from Los Angeles to New Orleans. This is my tribute to it from spending youthful days at the […]

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Digest: UP train derails in New Mexico

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

UP train derails near Lordsburg, N.M., disrupting Sunset Limited No injuries were reported when about 50 cars of a Union Pacific intermodal train derailed Monday afternoon near Lordsburg, N.M. The Grant County Beat website reports the accident occurred about 3:30 p.m. local time. Sunset Limited service in both directions was disrupted, with trains holding in […]

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