BOSTON — A former official at Keolis Commuter Services, contract operator of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter trains, has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for defrauding Keolis of more than $8.5 million and the Internal Revenue Service of more than $2.6 million. John P. Pigsley, 59, was sentenced on Thursday, April […]
WASHINGTON— Amtrak’s independent Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Government Accountability Office have issued separate reports within the last week that address courses of action Amtrak, state agencies, and the Federal Highway Administration might take to reduce injuries and deaths associated with train strikes of vehicles and pedestrians. The Amtrak Inspector General’s 28-page report, […]
WASHINGTON — The probable cause of a yard collision that fatally injured a Norfolk Southern engineer in January 2024 was a conductor’s failure to ensure that hand brakes were set on a cut of cars, which allowed them to roll away and strike the engineer’s locomotive, the National Transportation Safety Board says. The incident occurred […]
LONDON — No less than seven potential new competitors to Eurostar have emerged in the past few months, seeking to offer international services from London via the Channel Tunnel. At least three — all new startup companies — have started the process of obtaining access to Britain’s only maintenance shop that can handle European structure […]
Ride Amtrak outside of the Northeast Corridor and there’s a good chance you’ll arrive late because freight traffic delayed your train — despite the law that gives passenger trains preference. Amtrak is challenging host railroads Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern with a pair of high-profile on-time performance cases that aim to put teeth into the […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — The California Coastal Commission has approved an emergency permit allowing Orange County’s transit agency to undertake some stabilization measures along the rail line connecting Orange County and San Diego. The Orange County Transportation Authority board, at a Monday, April 14, meeting, authorized the OCTA to address four areas along the Surf […]
AUSTIN, Texas — Continuing operation of the Oklahoma City-Fort Worth, Tex., Heartland Flyer past June 30, 2025, could depend on whether the Texas legislature renews financial support it has contributed annually since 2006. But the train is also at risk because a yearly stipend from Oklahoma hasn’t changed since 2003, while Amtrak charges have risen […]
NEWARK, N.J. — Amtrak and NJ Transit on Tuesday presented a new progress report on their work to improve reliability on the Northeast Corridor, an outgrowth of the significant operating issues experienced by both entities in summer 2024. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy hosted representatives of both operators in a “working summit” on Tuesday, April […]
NEWARK, N.J. — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have rejected a tentative agreement with NJ Transit by a resounding margin, setting the stage for a possible strike or lockout as soon as May 15. The union said today that 372 of the 427 BLET members casting ballots, or 87%, voted against […]
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — The city manager of Delray Beach, Fla., told the driver of a fire truck hit by a Brightline train in a letter that he was being terminated for actions that cost the city “millions of dollars” and led to serious injuries to other firefighters and the public. The South Florida Sun […]
Amtrak’s retired HHP8 electric locomotives — nicknamed “Hippos” during their relatively short operating life — are nearing their return to service as cab cars. The company operated crew-familiarization specials between New York and Wilmington, Del., on April 7-8, and will reportedly operate more this week. On April 8, cab cars Nos. 9751 and 9750 sandwiched […]
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit spent more than $237 million on overtime in 2024, a figure CEO Kris Kolluri wants to cut to help meet savings called for by the agency’s fiscal 2026 budget. NJ.com reports that the $237.4 million in overtime last year was a 9% increase from the $216.3 million the year before. […]
