More than 200 injured in Malaysia light rail collision

White rapid transit train

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — More than 200 people were injured, 57 seriously, after a head-on collision of two light rail transit trains in Malaysia’s capital on Monday night. Reuters reports the accident occurred about 8:45 p.m. local time in a tunnel near the Petronas Twin Towers, when an empty train collided head-on with one carrying […]

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High speed operator Eurostar survives financial crisis

Blue, gray, and yellow high speed train in station, partially under trainshed

LONDON — Eurostar, the high speed passenger rail operator that runs trains via the Channel Tunnel from London to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam, has secured new financial backing from a consortium of banks after months of uncertainty. Since March 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic has led to severe cuts in Eurostar service, with often no more […]

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Construction under way for Britain’s High Speed 2 project

Heavy equipment working at tunnel entrance

LONDON — Construction work has begun along the entire 140-mile length of the first stage of Britain’s new 200-plus-mph high speed rail line, known as High Speed 2 (HS2), which will link London with cities in northern England and allow faster through trains to Scotland as well. The project has been developed in several phases […]

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At least 23 killed in Mexico City subway accident

Map of Mexico City Metro

MEXICO CITY — At least 23 people have been killed in a subway accident late Monday. The New York Times reports an overpass collapsed on an elevated portion of the rapid transit system’s Line 12 about 10:30 p.m. on Monday, sending some cars of a train plunging to the ground while leaving at least two […]

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Digest: MARC commuter service to West Virginia in jeopardy

MARC commuter rail logo

West Virginia fails to fund MARC service, placing future in doubt The future of MARC commuter rail service to West Virginia is again in doubt after the state legislature failed to include service for the funding in its 2021-22 budget. The Martinsburg Journal-News reports state Senate President Craig Blair said he struck the commuter train […]

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Union Pacific warily watching CP-CN battle for Kansas City Southern

Train with two locomotives and hopper cars on track parallelling street

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific is closely watching the battle for Kansas City Southern and how an acquisition by either Canadian Pacific or Canadian National could affect its cross-border traffic. UP CEO Lance Fritz notes that U.S. regulations require that mergers between Class I railroads must enhance competition and improve service for all shippers. “For […]

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Digest: CTA begins in-service testing of new CRRC railcars

Rapid transit cars

Chicago Transit Authority begins testing in-service of new railcars on Blue Line The Chicago Transit Authority announced Wednesday it has begun in-service testing for its newest railcars, the 7000-series cars being built by CRRC Sifang, an affiliate of Chinese rail equipment giant CRRC, at its Hegewisch plant on Chicago’s Far South Side. The cars are […]

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