CLARENDON HILLS, Ill. — A truck struck by a Metra commuter train was rotated by the impact, causing substantial damage to the train’s cab car and resulting in the death of a passenger, according to a preliminary report issued Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The preliminary report sets out basic facts of the […]
CHICAGO — Water spray splashing the wheels of Lincoln Service train no. 300 coming off the Chicago River bridge Wednesday morning has nothing to do with Amtrak’s need to wash Windy City trains, and everything to do with making sure hot weather doesn’t sideline them. With temperatures expected to reach 100 degrees as they did […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has issued four special directives to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, giving the transit agency periods ranging from 24 hours to 30 days to address safety concerns. Those concerns address procedural issues revealed by a series of five runaway-train incidents in yards since February 2021; maintenance procedures and programs; […]
BOSTON — A new company has announced plans to provide locomotive leasing for commuter rail agencies, saying it will offer proven, like-new units on flexible lease terms. Rolling Stock Solutions announced the venture last week, with initial plans to lease fully overhauled F40PH locomotives. “Having spent two decades at the intersection of government operations and […]
OTTAWA — Canada is lifting its COVID-19 vaccination requirement for travel and federally regulated forms of transportation as of June 20, meaning railroads will no longer be required to mandate vaccinations for workers and rail passengers are no longer required to have been vaccinated. Visitors to Canada will still have to be fully vaccinated or […]
DALLAS — The departure of Texas Central CEO Carlos Aguliar came as a news report from Spain said the company’s managerial team has departed and it lacks the necessary financing. Aguilar announced Sunday he was departing the company via a LinkedIn posting [see “Texas Central CEO steps down,” Trains News Wire, June 14, 2022]. Aguilar’s […]
BOSTON — One of two trains involved in a collision on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s rapid-transit Green Line this month failed to stop at a red signal and was traveling faster than the posted 7 mph speed limit, an investigator told an MBTA committee on Monday. The Associated Press reports that the train that […]
DALLAS — Carlos Aguilar is leaving Texas Central Railway — the proposed Dallas-Houston high speed rail line — after six years as CEO. In a statement issued via LinkedIn, Aguilar did not indicate a reason for departure or future plans, but said he was “immensely proud” of the company’s achievements, “including end to end regulatory […]
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The California High-Speed Rail Authority has released the final environmental report for the San Jose-San Francisco section of the project, moving closer to receiving environmental clearance for the entire San Francisco-Los Angeles route. The authority board of directors will consider the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement at its meeting in […]
Southern Railway passenger trains remembered All through June 2022, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history and heritage of the Southern Railway. Please enjoy this Southern Railway passenger train photo gallery selected from the files in Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. This gallery was first published in March 2019. Only from Trains.com! […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will allow a limited number of Amtrak personnel access to raw train data used by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern so the passenger operator can run its own Rail Traffic Controller capacity modeling study. In a decision issued Friday, the STB also ordered board-sponsored mediation to address the differences […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has issued its new rule on railroad fatigue management, set for formal publication on Monday, and at least one rail union leader has offered a positive response. The final rule, “Fatigue Risk Management Programs for Certain Passenger and Freight Railroads,” is available here for public inspection. Following its publication […]
