Two new Atlantic Coast Line EMD E7s pose with a train of lightweight stainless-steel passenger cars shortly after delivery in 1945. The ACL would eventually acquire 20 E7s. Photo by Atlantic Coast Line […]
Zone & Region: Northeast
Digest: State official says New York MTA debt could reach $50 billion
Tuesday morning rail transit news: New York MTA faces massive debt without additional aid New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority could see its total debt reach $50 billion if no further federal aid is forthcoming and it has to borrow money to address the deficit created by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to New York state […]
Digest: NYC subways see increase in violent crime
Monday midday rail news: While overall crime drops, New York subway sees increase in violent crime While overall crime has dropped significantly on New York’s subway system with the loss of ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic, violent crime is rising. The New York Times reports overall subway crime decreased by 40% between January and the end of […]
Digest: Long Island Rail Road expansion project reaches halfway point
More Friday morning rail news: Long Island Rail Road triple-track project reaches midpoint The Long Island Rail Road Expansion project, adding 10 miles of third track on the LIRR Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville, N.Y., has reached its halfway point ahead of schedule and under budget, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced. Grade crossings […]
MBTA subway car order falls a year behind schedule
New subway cars from a U.S. plant of Chinese manufacturer CRRC will be delayed by at least a year, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials said Monday. MassLive.com reports the cars for the MBTA’s Orange Line are now expected to be delivered by April 2023. The agency has received 24 cars from a 152-car contract awarded in 2014, […]
Hitachi Rail lands contract for DC Metro railcars
DC Metro has selected Hitachi Rail to build its next generation of railcars, ending a two-year search for a manufacturer. The Washington Post reports Metro officials sent Hitachi a notice of intent to award the contract — for 256 cars, with options that could boost the total order to 800 — on Sept. 30. If all options […]
MTA workers suspended over secret ‘man cave’ at Grand Central
NEW YORK — Three Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers have been suspended without pay and face potential termination after building a secret “man cave” under the tracks of New York’s Grand Central Terminal. A report by the Office of the MTA Inspector General says the men used the room — complete with big-screen TV, refrigerator, microwave […]
New Haven electric
The first of New Haven’s new 3,600-hp General Electric passenger-service electric locomotives, No. 0361, poses for its builder’s photo in 1938. Photo by General Electric […]
News Wire Digest second section for Aug. 20: Report says Amtrak oversight problems led to Moynihan station issues; Metra extends sale of $10 pass
More Thursday morning rail news: Metro-North, Long Island RR reach PTC milestones Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road have reached significant milestones in positive train control implementation, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced. Metro-North has operability on 100% of its rail lines, while all Long Island equipment is now PTC equipped. Metro-North still needs […]
With a splash of grape juice, East Broad Top returns to operation (corrected)
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — On Aug. 13, 1960, Millie Kovalchick smashed a bottle of Canada Dry ginger ale on the front coupler of East Broad Top Railroad 2-8-2 No. 12, officially reopening the East Broad Top as a tourist carrier. Sixty years to the day later, Millie Kovalchick Glinsky did it again — this time […]
Remembering the Lehigh & Hudson River Railway — a history
History of the Lehigh & Hudson River Railway The Lehigh & Hudson River Railway was a bridge route in the most literal sense. For much of its lifetime, New England freight moving via the 6,747-foot-long (including approaches), 212-foot-high Poughkeepsie Bridge over the Hudson River at that New York town was L&HR’s essential lifeblood and key […]
Digest: NJ Transit, Amtrak reach agreement to replace Portal Bridge
Tuesday morning rail news: NJ Transit approves agreement to replace Portal Bridge, Northeast Corridor trouble spot An agreement to replace New Jersey’s infamous Portal Bridge on the Northeast Corridor is finally in place. NJ.com reports that the NJ Transit board of directors has unanimously approved an agreement with Amtrak, owner of the bridge, to replace […]
