CN computer network outage halts GO Transit, VIA trains

Canadian National logo

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway is experiencing a systemwide computer network failure affecting operations of GO Transit and VIA Rail Canada, as well as CN’s customer service. The railroad said in a post on Facebook this afternoon (Tuesday, Oct. 3) that it was experiencing “an internet connectivity and Electronic Data Interchange issue.” GO and VIA […]

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Amtrak Inspector General: Production problems plague New Acela

Streamlined blue and white high-speed passenger train crosses bridge

WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General today issued a report highly critical of a manufacturing process that has led to defects preventing Amtrak from accepting any of the 12 of 28 New Acela trainsets and 22 of 28 café cars already produced at Alstom’s Hornell, N.Y., facility. The 38-page report contains redactions of monetary […]

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October 2023

In every issue News, p. 6 Union Pacific names a new chief executive officer, and regulators seek train length and tonnage data Bill Stephens p. 10 CPKC-CSX interchange deal realizes Mike Haverty’s vision from 20 years ago Preservation p. 44 You never know what adventures are waiting for you when traveling by train Travel p. […]

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Metro Transit adds Northstar commuter trains

blue and yellow Northstar commuter train

Northstar commuter service MINNEAPOLIS — Twin Cities Metro Transit began operation of additional commuter trains between Minneapolis and Big Lake, Minn., on Oct. 2. The service was decimated by the pandemic — before it struck Northstar operated five trips in each direction weekdays and three in each direction on weekends. As the pandemic waned the […]

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Delaware & Raritan River Railroad completes track rehab project

red locomotive by grass

Delaware & Raritan River Railroad FARMINGDALE, N.J. — The Delaware & Raritan River Railroad has completed its “F&S Connection,” a 5-mile track rehabilitation project between Freehold and Farmingdale, through Howell, N.J. The project was finished nine months ahead of schedule. DRR ran a test train over the rebuilt track on Sept. 15, 2023, marking the […]

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Five mind-blowing facts about the GM Aerotrain

Silver and red futuristic train. Five mind-blowing facts about the GM Aerotrain.

Mind-blowing facts about the GM Aerotrain By the 1950s it was clear that the passenger train was not the wave of the future. Automobiles and airliners were the next chapter in personal transportation for the United States. In some cases, however, the railroads wanted one more round in the fight to retain and regain passengers. […]

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DC Metrorail inspections find loose bolts on 32 older railcars

DC Metrorail car stopped on track with stairs leading to end door

WASHINGTON — Emergency inspections following last week’s derailment of a DC Metrorail train found 32 railcars with bolts that are loose, or at least not as tight as required, the Washington Post reports. A Metrorail 7000-series train derailed Friday after striking an object later determined to be a brake disc from a previous train. That […]

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North Carolina to provide $12 million for Saluda Grade trail

Map of former rail route in North and South Carolina.

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — The effort to turn the former Saluda Grade into a hiking and biking trail has received an additional boost with $12 million in funding from the state of North Carolina, the Spartanburg (S.C.) Herald-Journal reports. The North Carolina state budget approved Sept. 22 includes that funding over a two-year period toward purchase […]

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