Caltrain orders battery-electric trainset for trial operation

Red and white electric multiple-unit trainset under dramatic sunset

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 […]

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LA receives new subway cars

Stainless steel subway car with black and yellow nose

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 […]

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Investigation continues into Scarborough derailment

Blue rail rapid transit train

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 […]

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Santa Cruz commission approves full funding for rail study

Logo of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The transportation agency for Santa Cruz County has now fully funded a preliminary study of a much-debated rail transit plan for a former Southern Pacific branch line. The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission has ordered the study, known as a project concept report, for its […]

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Bicentennial Santa Fe locomotive to make California public debut

LOS ANGELES — Santa Fe No. 5704, the SD45-2 locomotive cosmetically restored to its bicentennial paint scheme, will make its California public debut at Los Angeles Union Station’s Train Festival 2023: A Celebration of Past, Present & Future on September 9-10. The locomotive, which was donated by BNSF to the Southern California Railway Museum in […]

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Metrolink’s lonely F40PH locomotive

An image showing a three-quarter view of a white diesel locomotive with a blue stripe at the head of a passenger train

Metrolink’s lonely F40PH locomotive is one of a dwindling number of F40s. It’s hard to believe once the EMD F40PH was the predominant motive power for Amtrak trains as well as many commuter lines. At Metrolink, No. 800 is today one of a kind. The story starts in the years following the initial hodgepodge of […]

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FRA gives environmental go-ahead for California segment of Brightline West

Illustration of high-speed Brightline West train

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration last week provided environmental clearance for a Southern California section of the proposed Brightline West high speed rail line to Las Vegas, Nev., moving the project closer to construction. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the FRA determined there would be no significant environmental impacts for the 49-mile extension from […]

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Jack Burgess’ Yosemite Valley Railroad in HO scale

Jack Burgess’ Yosemite Valley Railroad in HO scale | Jack Burgess, a dedicated model railroad enthusiast, has masterfully recreated the Yosemite Valley Railroad, an iconic prototype railroad that operated in central California until 1947. Over the course of 31 years, Jack poured his heart into crafting an intricate and historically significant model railroad, capturing the […]

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Jack Burgess’ Yosemite Valley Railroad in HO scale

Jack Burgess’ Yosemite Valley Railroad in HO scale | Jack Burgess, a dedicated model railroad enthusiast, has masterfully recreated the Yosemite Valley Railroad, an iconic prototype railroad that operated in central California until 1947. Over the course of 31 years, Jack poured his heart into crafting an intricate and historically significant model railroad, capturing the […]

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