The eastbound Southern Pacific Sunset Limited approaches the Memorial Tunnel at El Paso, Texas, on March 15, 1952. Born in 1894, the Sunset had received its latest upgrade in 1950. Classic Trains collection […]
Texas Tunnel
Type of Train: Passenger/Transit
Congress passes bill ending cuts to rail unemployment benefits
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has passed a bill eliminating cuts to railroad unemployment benefits, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden for his signature. S1274, the Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness (REEF) Act, passed the Senate today after earlier passage in the House of Representatives. It ends a tax of $50 every two weeks […]
Amtrak, agencies apply for more than $450 million in federal grants for Chicago Union Station improvements
CHICAGO — Days after a challenge from federal legislators, Amtrak and its partners have applied for four grants which would enable more than $500 million in improvements as part of the program to upgrade Chicago Union Station and related infrastructure. The grant requests for elements of the Chicago Hub Improvement Program met a Dec. 16 […]
Removal of old bridge piers completed at site of Amtrak’s new Susquehanna River Bridge
HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. — An Amtrak contractor has completed the removal of 10 bridge piers dating to 1866 from the Susquehanna River, a required move in advance of construction of new bridges connecting Havre de Grace and Perryville, Md. Contractor Fay Construction began the process earlier this year and completed it in November, Amtrak […]
Amtrak Inspector General report: Long-distance fleet order delayed as carbuilders balk
WASHINGTON—Despite responses from prospective manufacturers indicating already-published concepts for replacing bilevel Superliners would be difficult to execute, Amtrak management moved ahead with requests that carbuilders subsequently rejected. The result has been a seven-month delay in issuing a final Request for Proposals that might be acceptable to remaining bidders. That’s among the conclusions of Amtrak’s independent […]
Transit in 2024: MBTA makes major strides toward turnaround
Little more than a year ago, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was battered by problems and criticism. Its rail system was riddled with slow orders. Delivery of new rolling stock from China’s CRRC was far behind schedule. And it was still trying to correct issues addressed in directives from the Federal Transit Authority in 2022. […]
Florida county applies for federal funds for Brightline station
STUART, Fla. — Martin County, Fla., has applied for a $45 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration for a proposed Brightline station in the Stuart, part of its ongoing effort to salvage a station proposal that the city of Stuart initially sought before withdrawing. The newspaper TC Palm reports the county submitted its request […]
Senator introduces bill to advance U.S. rail electrification
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has introduced a bill that would provide $200 billion in funding over five years for high speed rail and electrification of major rail corridors. The “All Aboard Act” also seeks to expand existing passenger rail service and electrify major rail yards. U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) has introduced […]
Nevada State Railroad Museum acquires 1907 Virginia & Truckee passenger car
CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada State Railroad Museum has acquired a 1907 Virginia & Truckee Passenger car from the Southern California Railroad Museum, with the car arriving at the museum in Carson City last week. Coach-Smoker-Baggage car No. 20 was the last new passenger car acquired by the Virginia & Truckee, the museum said […]
Railroads head into 2025 with headcount momentum to support growth: Analysis
WASHINGTON — Railroads appear to have the manpower resources they need to handle volume growth as we head into the New Year. Three of the country’s six Class I railroads have more train and engine (T&E) employees than they did a year ago, including three of the big four U.S. railroads. Amtrak also has 125 […]
New York MTA set to order 435 more Kawasaki subway cars
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s New York City Transit Committee on Monday approved an order for an additional 435 new subway cars, including 80 with an open-gangway design. The full MTA board will vote on the order at its monthly meeting, this Wednesday, Dec. 18. The order will bring to 1,610 the number […]
Only minor issues reported as DC Metrorail automation returns
WASHINGTON — The first day of automated operation on DC Metrorail’s Red Line went well, a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority representative told local news media. Sunday, Dec. 15, was the first day for use of Automatic Train Operation on any part of the system since it was disabled following a fatal 2009 collision [see […]
