WASHINGTON — Federal Railroad Administration officials have briefed the Rail Passengers Association on a plan that would recast Amtrak as a holding company that would oversee separate entities responsible for operations, equipment management and leasing, and infrastructure and construction. According to a statement on the RPA website, there are only cursory details of how the […]
COLMA, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation providing a $590 million loan to transit agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area, avoiding service cuts until a ballot initiative can go to voters. The money provided under AB 117 will go to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the agency coordinating transit funding and planning […]
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments has approved plans to help fund expanded Pacific Surfliner passenger service, which would create a rail commuting option for Ventura County residents working in the Santa Barbara area. The new service could begin in late April or early May. At its Feb. 19 meeting, […]
WASHINGTON — Marc Molinaro, head of the Federal Transit Administration, has resigned his position as of today (Friday, Feb. 20), reportedly to run for the New York State Assembly. Molinaro said in a social media post last week that he was “coming home to be closer to my family and get back into the fight.” […]
MONTREAL — Shortened consists resulting from a Jan. 11 accident involving VIA Rail Canada’s triweekly Ocean continue to limit capacity even though the Montreal-Halifax, Nova Scotia, train resumed operation on Jan. 30. Meanwhile, 1950s-vintage Rail Diesel Cars serving remote Ontario communities between Sudbury and White River on CPKC’s main line are finally set to return […]
KEARNY, N.J. — Work is about 25% complete on the cutover of the first track of the new Portal North Bridge, Amtrak and NJ Transit officials said at a Thursday news conference at the construction site. “We’re on track and on schedule,” Jason Hoover, Amtrak assistant vice president, major programs-bridges, said, according to a NorthJersey.com […]
For many years Hobbyshop Window was a popular department in the pages of Model Railroader magazine. We’re excited to bring it back as an occasional feature on Trains.com. Here’s a recap of some of the items that arrived at our offices for the week ending February 20th 2026. Keep up to date on the latest […]
OWOSSO, Mich. — The 2025 season for Pere Marquette 2-8-4 No. 1225 was nothing short of eventful. The Berkshire-type locomotive, owned by the Steam Railroading Institute (SRI), was sidelined in late 2024, missing all of its North Pole Express excursions due to serious superheater concerns. [See “Pere Marquette No. 1225 sidelined…,” News Wire, Nov. 30, […]
MIAMI — Canadian Pacific Kansas City CEO Keith Creel says the Surface Transportation Board’s rejection of the initial Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application shows the $85 billion transaction is not a done deal. “I’m not drinking the merger Kool-Aid that this thing’s going to get approved. It may or it may not,” Creel told an […]
PORT CLINTON, Pa. — The Reading & Northern has announced its 2026 schedule of mainline excursions to Jim Thorpe, Pa., featuring operations from Pittston and Reading, Pa. Trains will run Saturdays and Sundays through Sept. 20, as well as St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. The railroad will also offer its […]
AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin agency overseeing the city’s planned light rail network has selected the construction contractor for the project. The selection of Austin Rail Constructors, a joint venture of firms Stacy Witbeck and Sundt Construction, was approved on Wednesday (Feb. 18) by the board of the Austin Transit Partnership, the local government corporation […]
TORONTO — Hitachi Rail will open a new Canadian headquarters in Toronto, the company announced today. The 125,000-square-foot headquarters will span 5.5 floors at Consilium Place, a three-building complex in Toronto’s Scarborough district, and is due to open this summer. It will host the company’s Global CBTC Competence Centre, which provides engineering and technical expertise […]
