Proposal for Atlanta-area commuter rail line may be scrapped

MARTA Logo

ATLANTA — A proposed Atlanta-area commuter rail line is likely to be scrapped after Norfolk Southern told the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority it would not share its rail line with the passenger operation. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the planned line would run from MARTA’s East Point station southwest of downtown Atlanta to the Clayton […]

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‘San Francisco Overland’

Steam and diesel locomotives line up in passenger station

San Francisco Overland Future excursion locomotive UP 844, having just taken over for an SP locomotive, departs Ogden Union Station with the San Francisco Overland on June 18, 1950. The Fairbanks-Morse “Erie-built” diesels at right will follow with the Los Angeles Limited. Don Sims photo […]

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Metra boosts CEO’s compensation

CEO Jim Derwinski

CHICAGO — Metra’s board of directors on Wednesday gave CEO/Executive Director James Derwinski a 10% annual salary raise along with additional compensation, arguing that it must “stay competitive” with the rest of the rail industry. Metra Chair Romayne Brown lauded Derwinski as a “strong leader and innovator,” and several other board members echoed that sentiment. […]

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Steve Albee’s O gauge layout

Subway cars racing by on an O gauge layout.

Visit Steve Albee’s dual-level O gauge layout that fits in a spare room! This layout is one of many with plans that appears in the fall 2021 CTT special publication Toy train layouts for small spaces. Get your print or digital version here! There are freight trains and subways bringing light, action, and sound to […]

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Steve Albee’s O gauge layout

Subway cars racing by on an O gauge layout.

Visit Steve Albee’s dual-level O gauge layout that fits in a spare room! This layout is one of many with plans that appears in the fall 2021 CTT special publication Toy train layouts for small spaces. Get your print or digital version here! There are freight trains and subways bringing light, action, and sound to […]

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Amtrak, developer reach agreement on restoration and update of Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station

Philadelphia_Interior_Goldman

PHILADELPHIA — Amtrak has reached agreement with developer Plenary Infrastructure Philadelphia on a lease and development agreement for restoration and renovation of its main station in Philadelphia, the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station. Under the agreement, Plenary will refurbish and improve the nearly century-old building, finance the improvements, and maintain the station for […]

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Audit finds safety issues with DC Metrorail maintenance procedures

WMATA logo

WASHINGTON — An audit of the DC Metrorail system’s maintenance practices has found those who perform railcar repairs and inspections do not keep organized records or follow safety procedures, according to the independent agency charged with monitoring DC Metro safety. The Washington Post reports the 44-page document from the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission identified 12 […]

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Metrolink to test earthquake warning system

Metrolink_Riverside_Lassen

LOS ANGELES — Commuter rail operator Metrolink is joining the California Department of Transportation and U.S. Geological Survey for a pilot warning system that could slow and stop trains in the event of an earthquake. The Earthquake Early Warning System will be deployed between Perris and Riverside on Metrolink’s 91/Perris Valley Line. It will use […]

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VIA Rail Canada pushes back resumption of full ‘Ocean’ service

Stainless steel dome-observation on passenger train

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — VIA Rail Canada has delayed plans to increase frequencies of its Montreal-Halifax train, the Ocean, until at least Nov. 15, Halifax Today reports. A weekly roundtrip on the route, suspended since March 2020, resumed Aug. 11 [see “VIA’s Ocean to resume once-weekly round trips …,” Trains News Wire, July 12, 2021. […]

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The aftermath: Sept. 13, 2001, at Chicago Union Station

Crowd of people boarding passenger car

CHICAGO — Travelers all over the U.S. had been stranded for two days after the September 11 attacks, when all air traffic was abruptly grounded. Many Amtrak trains had also been stopped that day as a precaution. While people who had been on the road assumed flights might soon resume, continuing security concerns and the […]

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Brightline, FEC activate first new double-track segment this week

Red-and-yellow locomotives with fuel tender cross street

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It’s only 13 miles of a 129-mile project, but this week’s planned activation of a second main track between West Palm Beach and Jupiter, Fla., represents tangible progress in Brightline’s northward expansion. Restoration of the second main on Florida East Coast’s line to Cocoa, Fla., helps establish a fluid, 110-mph-capable […]

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