DETROIT — If you’d like to spend a night (or more) at the historic Michigan Central station, the opportunity is coming. Michigan Central, the Ford affiliate that redeveloped the long-derelict landmark structure that reopened last year, announced today (June 2, 2025) that NoMad Hotels will open a hotel with about 180 rooms within the building. […]
BERN, Switzerland — A broken wheel was the cause of the derailment in the Gotthard Base Tunnel that disrupted traffic through the world’s longest rail tunnel for more than a year, the Swiss Safety Investigation Center (SUST) confirmed in its final report on the Aug. 10, 2023, incident. In a press release on the final […]
WASHINGTON — Funding for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor would be cut from $1.14 billion to $850 million — a 25% decrease — under President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for fiscal 2026, according to budget information released by the Department of Transportation on Friday. According to the detailed DOT budget request, Amtrak national network funding would increase […]
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A consulting firm and the Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization have narrowed a potential location for a new passenger station to two sites, the Cheyenne City Council was told last week. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that the planning body and Quandel Consultants have trimmed a list of six possible sites to two: […]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Chicago-area transit operations will face draconian cuts to service in the next fiscal year after Illinois legislators on Saturday passed a new state budget without addressing the $770 million shortfall for the Regional Transit Authority and its three operating agencies. While the state Senate passed a transit bill, HB3438, that had been […]
RALEIGH, N.C. — A ceremony Friday (May 30) marking the 30th anniversary of the North Carolina’s Piedmont passenger rail service between Raleigh and Charlotte, repainting a locomotive into the original Piedmont paint scheme to mark the event. Piedmont service was launched on May 26, 1995, with state-owned equipment. It has grown from a single daily […]
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Union Pacific and rail technology firm ZTR have concluded the first portion of the pilot program for their battery-diesel hybrid switching locomotives, the company said Friday, with the pilot remaining on track for completion in 2026. The mother-slug set has completed initial testing and proof of concept at the Jenks […]
CALGARY, Alberta — A Canadian arbitrator has delivered his decision setting terms of new collective bargaining agreements between Canadian Pacific Kansas City and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference’s train and engine and rail traffic controller divisions. The contract, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2024 and running through Dec. 31, 2027, includes annual wage increases of 3%. […]
PETALUMA, Calif. — Northern California commuter rail service Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit is set to launch service on its northern extension to Windsor, Calif., on Saturday (May 31). The North Bay Business Journal reports that SMART received final clearance from the Federal Railroad Administration to begin operation on Thursday, according to SMART General Manager Eddy […]
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Las Vegas police are seeking help in identifying three people who may be responsible for derailment of three railcars earlier this month, causing almost $25,000 in damage and cleanup costs. The May 23 incident occurred in the 9700 block of South Rainbow Boulevard. According to a police department press release, an […]
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators want Watco to provide more information about its proposed acquisition of Michigan short line Great Lakes Central before they will allow the deal to proceed. Watco on March 6 sought to have the deal to acquire the 420-mile Great Lakes Central exempt from a Surface Transportation Board review, as is common […]
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A benefit for steam expert Gary Bensman — whose fingerprints are on virtually every major steam locomotive restoration project — is being held to help defray medical costs as he recovers from a heart attack, stroke, and cardiac surgery. Bensman suffered a major cardiac event in February while working at a […]
