New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal, opened in 1954 as one of America’s last pre-Amtrak big-city passenger terminals, featured an open-air concourse at the end of its 12 stub-end tracks. James G. La Vake photo […]
New Orleans station concourse
Zone & Region: Southeast
Brightline to offer Taylor Swift sing-along trains
ORLANDO, Fla. — A lot of companies could take lessons on promotions from the people at Brightline. Last month, the company built a promotion around a poll showing that 59% of Floridians would prefer to find an alligator in their pool than get stuck in traffic on a family trip. In response, it offered 40% […]
Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis passenger trains remembered
Please enjoy this photo gallery of Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis passenger trains, originally published online in November 2017. […]
First Tri-Rail express train disrupted by pedestrian accident
PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. — The launch of a new express service on South Florida commuter rail operator Tri-Rail was disrupted Monday when another train struck and killed a pedestrian, halting operations and forcing the commuter operator to provide buses on the inaugural train of the service. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports a northbound Tri-Rail train […]
Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway history remembered
Although the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway employed several nicknames — “Dixie Line,” “Nashville Road,” and “Lookout Mountain Route” among them — to former employees and their families, it will always be “Grandpa’s Road.” James A. Skelton was one of those Grandpas. He was 14 in April 1862, and although the War Between the […]
Virginia Museum of Transportation board members resign
ROANOKE, Va. — Six members of the Virginia Museum of Transportation board of directors have resigned, WDBJ-TV reports. The group submitted letters of resignation at the board’s annual meeting last week. It reportedly included several of those who led the museum’s excursion efforts, leading to speculation about future plans for the steam program with Norfolk […]
VRE to eliminate youth fares as of July 1
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Virginia Railway Express will eliminate fares for riders 18 and under as part of fare adjustments effective July 1. Adult passengers on the commuter service will see a fare increase of approximately 5%, the first raise in ticket prices since 2019. That will translate to an increase of approximately 65 cents for […]
CSX line reopens after Harpers Ferry bridge fire (updated)
HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — CSX has reopened one track of its two-track main line at Harpers Ferry, W.Va., about 3:30 a.m. today (Tuesday, June 25) and expected the other to be reopened by midday following Monday’s fire on the bridge across the Potomac River. The Hagerstown Herald-Mail reports railroad spokesman Bryan Tucker wrote in an […]
Bridge fire shuts down CSX main line at Harpers Ferry, W.Va. (updated)
HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — CSX’s double-track main line at Harpers Ferry has been shut down after a reported bridge deck fire this afternoon (Monday, June 24), leading to a cancellation of Amtrak’s Capitol Limited and disrupting freight service and MARC commuter rail operations. Eyewitness photos looking east from the original Baltimore & Ohio train station […]
Alabama port authority votes to help fund Amtrak service
MOBILE, Ala. — A once-unlikely source — the Alabama State Port Authority — has agreed to provide a share of the funding needed to launch Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. On Tuesday, the Port Authority board, once a vehement opponent of Gulf Coast service on the grounds it might interfere with freight […]
No injuries reported in UP hazardous-material situation in Arkansas
McRAE, Ark. — A one-mile area near the town of McRae was evacuated today (Monday, June 17) after a railcar on a Union Pacific train released a hazardous material, KTHV-TV reports. No injuries resulted from the incident, which involved nitric acid. State Route 367 was closed for about four hours. Union Pacific said in a […]
Big Boy’s ‘Heartland of America Tour’ to begin Aug. 29
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Union Pacific has announced plans for its second tour this year with Big Boy No. 4014, which will cover 10 states in eight weeks beginning Aug. 29. The “Heartland of America Tour” will launch from Cheyenne on that date and also include Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas, […]
