LOS ANGELES — A rare tropical storm warning for Southern California is leading to a series of cancellations on Amtrak routes to and from Los Angeles beginning today (Saturday, Aug. 19). Commuter service on the San Diego-Oceanside Coaster will also be affected and LA-area Metrolink service is also likely to see changes. All three-long distance […]
LENOX, Mass. — The three remaining cars of the Roger Williams, the all-RDC passenger train built for the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1957, are among five Budd Rail Diesel Cars the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum is leasing from the Budd RDC Foundation. Also included in the agreement announced Friday is an […]
MOORE, Okla. — Twenty-two cars of a BNSF Railway train derailed today (Friday, Aug. 18) in suburban Oklahoma City, blocking a grade crossing that could remain closed for several days. The derailment kept Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer from reaching its Oklahoma City terminus. The Oklahoman newspaper reports the derailment involving carloads of plastic pellets occurred about […]
WASHINGTON — A federal court has struck down the Surface Transportation Board’s approval of the Uinta Basin Railway project, calling the decision allowing its construction “arbitrary and caprious.” The court also vacated the Environmental Impact Statement and a related document underlying that decision and sent the matter back to the STB. In granting the exemption […]
SAN MATEO, Calif. — Caltrain will purchase a battery-electric version of the Stadler electric multiple-unit passenger equipment it has purchased for its upcoming electrification, allowing operation beyond the limits of system electrification. The California Transportation Commission has approved the funding for the purchase of a single battery-electric trainset and related maintenance and charging facilities, Caltrain […]
LOS ANGELES — LA Metro has received the first cars in an order of new subway equipment built by China’s CRRC, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. The 75-foot-long stainless steel HR4000 cars will be placed in service in six to eight months, a Metro spokesman told the Daily News in an email. They have […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — Service on Ottawa’s light rail Confederation Line was reduced on Thursday, just four days after it resumed following a four-week shutdown, because of issues with a restraining rail on a curve between the Hurdman and uOttawa stations. All trains were routed onto the eastbound track between those two stations when it was […]
BATON ROUGE, La. — The state of Louisiana will use money it is retaining through a deal with the federal government to fund a proposed passenger rail operation between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, NOLA.com reports. The decision by Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration will direct to the rail project some $20.5 million that the […]
TORONTO — An investigation continues into the July 24 derailment on the Toronto Transit Commission’s Scarborough RT line, with the TTC saying on Thursday that “another couple of weeks” would be required for the ongoing assessment of equipment and infrastructure. Test trains ran in the area of the Lawrence and Ellesmere stations “as part of […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak on Thursday announced the launch of “Amtrak Gives Back,” which it calls “a community engagement program focused on being a good neighbor and valuable partner to the communities it serves.” The company will look to help non-profit organizations in communities served by the passenger operator, “including those that promote diversity and inclusion,” […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — The reopening of Ottawa’s light rail Trillium Line, the diesel-powered, north-south route which has been closed since May 2020 for expansion, has been further delayed and will not come until “the end of the year,” the Ottawa Citizen reports. The 16-kilometer (9.9-mile), eight-station southward extension of the Trillium line was supposed to […]
WASHINGTON — For the second time in a month, Brightline West has filed “Expedited Action Requested” documents with the Surface Transportation Board, seeking approval of the company’s plans for building a 186-mph electrified rail line between Las Vegas, Nev., and Southern California. On Tuesday, Aug. 15, Brightline West urged the STB to rule favorably on […]
