Storm in Northeast leads to Amtrak cancellations, schedule changes (updated)

Train stopped at station in snow

  WASHINGTON — Citing “forecasted severe weather conditions,” Amtrak has announced these cancellations and schedule changes in the northeast beginning later today (Tuesday, March 14). The Amtrak Downeaster website indicates that northbound train No. 689, scheduled to depart Boston at 10:30 p.m., and southbound train No. 688, scheduled to depart Brunswick, Maine, at 5:45 p.m., […]

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New York scraps plans for AirTrain to La Guardia Airport

Illustration of elevated rail line at airport terminal

NEW YORK — The long-discussed plan to build an AirTrain rail link connecting La Guardia Airport to the New York City Subway system and Long Island Rail Road has been scrapped. The New York Times reports that Gov. Kathy Hochul said today (Monday, March 13) she would follow the recommendations of a panel reviewing the […]

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MBTA riders told to allow for an extra 40 minutes of commute time

MBTA Orange Line train arrives at station

BOSTON — Any hope Boston-area commuters had that current speed restrictions on much of the rail transit network would be short lived faded on Monday, as the interim general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said riders should allow 40 more minutes of travel time daily until further notice. The Boston Globe reports the […]

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Jersey Central men with the ‘Blue Comet’

Launched in 1929, the Jersey City-Atlantic City Blue Comet was the pride of the Central Railroad of New Jersey, as is evident in the faces and attire of conductor Joseph T. Ross and engineer John Wait, standing with immaculate Pacific 831 at Jersey City. Classic Trains collection […]

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BNSF reopens San Joaquin Valley route

BNSF Railway logo

WASCO, Calif. — BNSF has reopened its main line on the Bakersfield Subdivision in the San Joaquin Valley, the railroad reports in a service update to customers. The route, closed since approximately 1:30 p.m. PST on Saturday because of a washout, was reopened at 12:07 a.m. PDT today (Monday, March 13). There was no immediate […]

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Weather impacts continue to disrupt Amtrak trains (updated)

Train at station during snow

CHICAGO — Washouts in California, plus heavy snows there and along BNSF Railway’s Hi Line across North Dakota and Montana, are among obstacles thrown at Amtrak’s national network the last several days, precipitating cancellations, significant delays, and route truncations. A washout north of San Luis Obispo, Calif., caused the Coast Starlight to be cancelled in […]

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Start of expanded Altamont Corridor Express service pushed back

Map of expanded Altamont Corridor Express with service to Sacramento and communities south of Stockton

MODESTO, Calif. — Planned expansion of the Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail service into Stanislaus and Sacramento counties will be delayed by two years, with the first trains not running until 2026, the Modesto Bee reports. The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, which manages the service currently running between Stockton, Calif., and San Jose, attributes […]

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Lounge car on Pennsy’s 1938 ‘Broadway’

The 1938 Broadway Limited‘s mid-train lounge cars, Harbor Point and Harbor Springs, contained two double bedrooms, a barber shop, a secretary’s room, and a 14-seat lounge area. Typically for designer Raymond Loewy, the lounge section was elegantly decorated but had no windows. PRR photo […]

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Two injured as light rail train derails in Golden, Colo.

Derailed light rail train

GOLDEN, Colo. — Two people were taken to a hospital with what were described as minor injuries after a Regional Transportation District light rail train derailed today at the Jefferson County Government Center in Golden. The RTD said in a press release that the first car of a W Line light rail train derailed about […]

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Amtrak to resume Adirondack service in April, U.S. senators say

Passenger train at station next to body of water

ALBANY, N.Y. — Amtrak’s long-idle New York-Montreal Adirondack service — the only train still not running after being suspended by the passenger operator at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — will resume operation in April, according to New York’s two U.S. senators. U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand made the announcement Friday afternoon, […]

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