REESEVILLE, Wis. — CPKC tracks have reopened through the site of Tuesday’s derailment in Reeseville, with Amtrak’s Empire Builder returning to its normal route as of Wednesday evening. Plans had been for the westbound Builder to hold in Milwaukee until the derailment site on CPKC’s Watertown Subdivision reopened. But the train, which arrived in Milwaukee […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak service was restored between New York and Philadelphia by 10 a.m. EDT after overhead power issues at the Metropark station in Woodbridge, N.J., according to the Amtrak website. The problem was initially reported about 8 a.m. ET. At least some trains were cancelled as a result of the issue, according to […]
When my wife and I had another couple over for dinner back in April, the cork was barely out of the wine bottle when our friends popped the question: What on earth is going on with railroads? In the wake of the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and intense media coverage […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration is demanding immediate changes to Norfolk Southern’s conductor trainee program, citing “grave deficiencies” that have been marked by incidents resulting in “amputations and other serious injuries.” In a June 14 letter, Allison Ishihara Fultz, FRA’s chief counsel, wrote that despite nearly two years of FRA working with NS to […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has begun the process of extending the Second Avenue Subway, announcing Wednesday that it was soliciting the first contract for construction to 125th Street in Harlem. The initial contract will cover utility relocation, setting the stage for construction of three stations and system infrastructure. With the solicitation posted, […]
PORT-DANIEL-GASCONS, Quebec — The Canadian government will provide more than C$10 million in funding for a rail infrastructure project protecting a coastal railway on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, according to a Tuesday announcement. The project at Port-Daniel-Gascons will include installation of a retaining wall to prevent further erosion of cliffs along the coastline, repair of tracks […]
WASHINGTON — Continuing the trend since the start of the year, U.S. rail traffic was down 3.9% in June, compared to the same month in 2022. Weekly traffic, for the week ending July 1, was down 3.2%. The latest figures from the Association of American Railroads show carload traffic was down 0.2% while intermodal traffic […]
CHICAGO — Passenger rail continues to be left out of travel discussions, in part because Amtrak lacks equipment to handle everyday cross-country demand, not to mention potential traffic surges triggered by holidays flights grounded by bad weather. Meanwhile, revisions to Amtrak’s reservation system make it harder for travelers seeking sleeping car rooms to make informed […]
ABOARD THE SILVER STAR — The announcement Amtrak is extending chef-prepared meals and table service for sleeping-car passengers to another New York-Miami train [see “Amtrak returns ‘traditional dining’ to Silver Meteor,” Trains News Wire, June 27, 2023] came a few days after News Wire had a chance to sample that service on the northbound Silver […]
Trucks in Germany are now paying higher tolls to use main highways, with the extra money to be invested in the country’s government-owned rail network. The new tolls were effective July 1. The new funds will address a rail system that is suffering in places from a high level of use by both passenger and […]
UNION, Ill. — The Illinois Railway Museum, which is marking its 70th anniversary in 2023, celebrated the milestone on Saturday, July 1, with its 70 for 70 Trolley Pagaent, a parade of 70 pieces of electric equipment from the museum’s collection. The event reflects the roots of the museum, which began in 1953 as the […]
BHUBANSWAR, India — A signal repair error led to the three-train collision that killed 288 people in June, according to a Reuters report. The news report cites a report from investigators for the Commission of Railway Safety that says workers trying to address problems at a nearby grade crossing did not have a circuit diagram, […]
