News & Products for the week of August 28th 2023 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of August 28th […]
Type of Train: Passenger/Transit
How Amtrak services fared with summer travel surge: Analysis
WASHINGTON — Though Amtrak ridership for June and July 2023 did not reach pre-pandemic levels for the same months in 2019, a review of company statistics shows systemwide revenue beat the total for those months thanks to strong performance from Northeast Corridor and long-distance service. Frequency and capacity played a part in the performance shown […]
Rocky Mountaineer resumes regular operations in Canada
KAMLOOPS, British Columbia — Rocky Mountaineer tour train service resumed its normal schedule in Canada as of Sunday, Aug. 27, following several days of disruptions, the company reports. Some departures had been cancelled as a result of wildfires in British Columbia, as well as an emergency order by British Columbia government that restricted non-essential travel […]
VIA Rail Canada puts C$80 million into preservation of four historic stations
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — VIA Rail Canada is in the midst of spending more than C$80 million to preserve and upgrade four heritage stations across its network, the company said last week. That includes C$25 million at Winnipeg, where work is expected to be completed later this year. That money is being spent between 2020 and […]
California begins process of purchasing high speed trainsets
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is preparing to buy the first trainsets for its high speed rail system. The California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors last week approved a Request for Qualifications for the purchase of six trainsets for use on the initial 171-mile, Merced-to-Bakersfield section of the long-delayed LA-San Francisco high speed system. “Our […]
Dates still to be determined for CRRC delivery of long-delayed MBTA subway cars
BOSTON — The delivery schedule for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority subway cars being built by Chinese firm CRRC remains undetermined, but MBTA and Massachusetts officials believe the company will eventually complete its troubled order for the railcars. CommonWealth Magazine reports that MBTA CEO Phillip Eng told a Thursday board meeting that he, MBTA Deputy […]
BART to retire last original cars on Sept. 11
OAKLAND, Calif. — The last original Bay Area Rapid Transit cars are set to be retired next month, public broadcaster KQED reports. With some 560 of the next-generation “Fleet of the Future” now in service, BART plans to retire its legacy equipment as of Sept. 11, 51 years after the system opened. The transit operator’s […]
Brightline, FEC set several days of work on St. Lucie River drawbridge
STUART, Fla. — Brightline and Florida East Coast Railway will perform additional rehabilitation work on the St. Lucie River drawbridge beginning tonight (Friday, Aug. 25), with extended overnight closures Aug. 27-28 and Aug 28-29, in order to complete the work before the start of Brightline service to Orlando, the two rail companies have announced. To […]
Toronto’s Scarborough RT line will not reopen after July derailment
TORONTO — The Toronto Transit Commission says it will not reopen the Scarborough RT rail line in the wake of last month’s derailment that sent five people to the hospital. The route — an orphan in Toronto’s four-line subway system because of its use of a different type of equipment — was already scheduled to […]
MBTA plans 16-day shutdown of some Red Line service
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will shut down a 5-mile, 11-station segment of Red Line rail service for 16 days in October to address track maintenance, the agency announced today. The shutdown from Oct. 14 to Oct. 29 will affect the Ashmont Branch between the JFK/UMass and Ashmont stations, as well as the […]
Amtrak long-distance equipment shortage, mechanical challenges continue
CHICAGO — “Unforeseen mechanical issues” resulted in the cancellation of Amtrak’s westbound Cardinal out of New York on Wednesday, Aug. 23, despite the fact that the triweekly train’s equipment had arrived at the Big Apple’s Sunnyside Yard late Sunday. As has been recent custom, this resulted in the cancellation of its eastbound counterpart from Chicago […]
Siemens breaks ground on new North Carolina plant
LEXINGTON, N.C. — Siemens Mobility broke ground Wednesday, Aug. 23, on its new Lexington, N.C., plant, which aims to begin production in 2024 and expects to employ more than 500 people by 2028. The new facility, on a 200-acre site with room for expansion, will produce passenger cars as well as offering locomotive and passenger […]
