SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Department of Transportation and Siemens Mobility said last week that Caltrans has accepted the first seven of 49 Venture cars destined for Bakersfield-Oakland/Sacramento San Joaquin trains. No date is set for the cars’ entry into revenue service, however — in part because Amtrak must also make final inspections and formally […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — State and Orange County officials have declared a state of emergency over the instability that has closed the rail line along the Pacific Coast in San Clemente, allowing them to approve $6 million in repairs, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Passenger and commuter rail service along the Surf Line could resume […]
BARSTOW, Calif. — BNSF Railway has announced plans for what it is calling the first master-planned rail facility built by a Class I railroad — costing more than $1.5 billion and including a rail yard, intermodal facility, and warehouses for transloading from international to domestic containers. The Barstow International Gateway, to be on the west […]
SAN DIEGO — The interruption of passenger service between South Orange County and Oceanside, Calif, could last for two months, an official with San Diego’s planning agency told broadcaster KPBS. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and LA-area commuter operator Metrolink halted service through San Clemente, Calif., on Friday, over concerns about erosion along a portion of the […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and LA-area commuter rail operator Metrolink have suspended service until further notice between Irvine and Oceanside, Calif., over “safety concerns” regarding the right-of-way in San Clemente, according to a notice on the Surfliner website. The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this week that erosion along the beach in […]
WASHINGTON — A Union Pacific train was routed into a siding that had contained stored railcars for nine months when two crew members were killed in an accident earlier this month, according to the preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The accident occurred Sept. 8, 2022 at about 2:40 a.m. near Mecca, Calif. […]
SAN FRANCISCO — Caltrain has given the public the first look at its new electric multiple-unit trainsets, set to take over commuter rail service between San Francisco and San Jose in 2024. The commuter operator brought two of the new trains, built by Stadler at its plant in Salt Lake City, to its Fourth and […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr has been cancelled this Sunday, Sept. 25 — continuing a week of disruptions for the service between Chicago and Emeryville, Calif. The sequence that led to Sunday’s cancellation began with the westbound departure of Monday, Sept. 19, which sustained delays totaling 16 hours, 35 minutes on its way to […]
BERLIN — Progress Rail will provide up to four EMD Joule battery-electric locomotives to BNSF for testing in Southern California, the company has announced today at InnoTrans. The trial, to be supported in part by government grants, will also see Progress provide two charging stations for the locomotives. The SD70J units will have 8 Megawatt-hours […]
TRACY, Calif. — The planned Valley Link commuter rail system, which would run from Lathrop, Calif., to Dublin/Pleasanton, will pursue the possibility of using hydrogen-powered equipment when it launches in 2027, the Modesto Bee reports. The Valley Link board voted earlier this month to accept a report that found the alternative energy source feasible and […]
BERLIN — The first hydrogen-powered trainset for use in the U.S. has been presented to its owners at the InnoTrans trade fair by manufacturer Stadler — which also announced an order for more of the equipment for use in Amtrak California intercity service. The two-car trainset was ordered by the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority […]
UPDATE: Railroads and unions have reached a tentative agreement as of early Thursday morning, averting a work stoppage. Watch Trains News Wire for more information. ORANGE, Calif. — Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner service has now announced details of its operating plans for today (Thursday, Sept. 15) and beyond, if there is not a resolution to the […]
