Days after Amtrak wrapped one of its ACS64 locomotives in the paint scheme once worn by its AEM7s, Bay Area commuter operator Caltrain has unveiled a repainted AEM7 in a variant of the red, black, and white scheme worn by its MP36 diesels. The ex-Amtrak unit will be used to test the Caltrain catenary system, […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Railroad Administration call for the Surface Transportation Board to order the restoration of Amtrak service along the Gulf Coast — and offer detailed criticism of arguments by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern against that service — in a Tuesday filing with the Surface Transportation Board. The […]
NEW YORK — The destruction of New York’s Penn Station — built in 1910, demolished in 1963 — is often cited as a seminal moment in the movement to preserve historic buildings. Now, the processes to protect historic structures may be used to prevent redevelopment of the current Penn Station, the crowded, confusing, and largely […]
WASHINGTON — The independent agency that oversees DC Metrorail safety issues has given its approval to a plan to gradually return Metro’s 7000-series railcars to service, ending an equipment shortage that has led to a significant reduction in Metrorail operations. The Washington Post reports the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission said it had no technical objections […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak will revert to its original COVID-19 vaccination policy, which allows testing as an alternative to vaccination, in light of a court ruling halting a federal executive order blocking enforcement of a vaccination mandate. As a result, the passenger railroad does not anticipate that it will need to make any service reductions in […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak and New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority have reached agreement on funding two projects to aid rail travel in the New York City area. The New York Times reports that, in a deal brokered by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Amtrak will use $500 million of the money it received from the recently […]
NEWARK, N.J. — A former Amtrak employee has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from fraudently obtaining dozens of chainsaw and hundreds of chainsaw parts over an eight-year period. A press release from Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General says Jose Rodriguez, 49, of Brick, N.J., obtained 114 chainsaws, 112 chainsaw replacement bars, and 222 replacement chains […]
NEW YORK — Users of New York City Transit subways and buses will pay no more than $33 in fares per week under a “fare capping” pilot program to begin March 1, 2022, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials announced Monday. The New York Daily News reports that riders who use the new OMNY tap-and-pay system will […]
FORT MADISON, Iowa — The City of Fort Madison celebrated completion of an almost 14-year effort to restore its downtown passenger station on Friday, Dec. 10, with Southwest Chief service to and from the station to begin this Wednesday, Dec. 15. Work at the downtown facility, built by Santa Fe in 1910, required raising the […]
MIAMI — A long-delayed plan to bring Tri-Rail commuter service to Brightline’s downtown MiamiCentral station has hit a new snag: Tri-Rail’s cars will not fit in the station — and they may also be too heavy for the viaduct lifting the tracks from street level to MiamiCentral’s above-ground platforms. The Miami Herald reports that an […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced plans for a series of celebratory final runs as it retires subway equipment that it says are some of the world’s oldest active subway cars. The R32 cars, nicknamed Brightliners, were built by the Budd Co. in Philadelphia, with the first of the cars making their […]
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Association of Governments board of directors has passed a 30-year, $160 billion regional transportation plan, but eliminated a proposed road mileage tax, leaving questions how the agency plans to pay for the program. The Times of San Diego reports key aspects of the plan approved Friday include a direct […]
