The first of 12 Connecticut Department of Transportation P40 locomotives to be rebuilt by Amtrak at Beech Grove, Ind., is CDOT No. 6711, seen at North Haven, Conn., on March 8, 2021. The unit was built as Amtrak no. 820 in 1993, and later worked for NJ Transit in Atlantic City service, carrying NJT no. 4803. CDOT […]
Virgin sues Brightline for $251 million over end of ‘Virgin Trains’ name Virgin Enterprises, the corporation headed by Sir Richard Branson, is suing Brightline over the rail operator’s decision to drop the “Virgin Trains” name. The BBC reports Virgin is suing for $251 million, saying Brightline is reneging on a 20-year licensing deal by […]
MOBILE, Ala. — Pending approval from the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak intends to pay for repairs to station platforms to be used by the Gulf Coast service Amtrak plans to launch in 2022. Vice President of Stations and Accessibility Dr. David Handera told members of the Southern Rail Commission, holding their quarterly meeting on Friday, […]
Additional Thursday morning rail news: Environmental assessment released for Baltimore’s Howard Street Tunnel project The environmental assessment for Baltimore’s Howard Street Tunnel project says the work to rebuild the CSX Transportation tunnel to handle double-stack intermodal traffic would decrease emissions and fuel usage by moving traffic to and from the Port of Baltimore from road […]
DOT nominee Trottenberg says she’ll work to advance Gateway project The nominee for the No. 2 position at the U.S. Department of Transportation told a confirmation hearing that she would work to make the Northeast Corridor’s Gateway Tunnel project a priority if she is confirmed. Bloomberg reports Deputy Secretary of Transportation nominee Polly Trottenberg, formerly […]
LONDON — One stubborn cat kept a British high speed train in the station Tuesday — after almost taking a ride on the train’s roof. The BBC reports that a half-hour before an Avanti West Coast train was scheduled to depart London’s Euston Station for Manchester, a cat was spotted atop the train’s cab — […]
Utah legislators change funding plan for transit projects Utah legislators have changed plans for funding a series transit projects, although the projects — including double-tracking sections of the Utah Transit Authority FrontRunner commuter rail route — will still get the money they need. The Salt Lake Tribune notes that instead of borrowing more than $1 […]
DC Metro proposal would see 22 stations closed, rail service reduced as of January 2022 The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority would could close 22 Metrorail stations, reduce rail service to 30-minute intervals on all routes, and shut down nightly at 9 p.m. instead of the current 11 p.m. under the rail component of a […]
San Francisco streetcars to return in May, cable cars back in fall San Francisco will revive its historic streetcar F Line in May and its cable cars this fall — with the latter representing a turnaround from prior suggestions that return of the city’s signature transit system was in doubt because of cost and declining […]
Question: In the days when passenger trains carried open-platform observation cars, which passengers were allowed to occupy the platform? Was this subject to permission of the conductor, payment of an extra charge, or was it simply on a first-come, first-served basis? — John W. Eiszner, Indianapolis Answer: Open-platform cars and their successors, the round and […]
Canadian government revises rules for winter operations, hazardous-material trains The Canadian government has revised rules regarding winter operation and hazardous material trains, updating rules first issued in response to derailments in 2020. The rules announced by Transport Minister Omar Alghabra will: — Define “higher risk key trains” as those carrying large quantities of crude oil […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has decided to maintain late-night commuter rail service on weekdays, and is planning a new round of schedule changes this spring that will be “closer to regional rail,” according to MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. The Boston Globe reports MBTA officials told the Fiscal and Management Control Board […]
