NEW YORK — Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman – who used his position as a bully pulpit to criticize railroads and encourage them to reach their potential by hauling more of the nation’s freight – announced today that he will leave the board early next year. “After much consideration of the work the […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority needs a massive infusion of $24.5 billion to address state-of-good repair needs, more than twice the figure from its last estimate of such maintenance needs in 2019, the agency said in a report issued today. The figure — up from $10 billion in the 2019 assessment — includes […]
CHICAGO — More than 30 people were injured, and more than 20 were hospitalized, following a crash involving a Chicago Transit Authority train today (Thurday, Nov. 16), according to updated information from the Chicago Fire Department. The latest information, as reported by WMAQ-TV, is that at least 38 people were injured, with 23 transported […]
Do it yourself locomotive restoration Yes, you can do it yourself! Restoring old tin trains is not as difficult as the popular folklore would have you believe. It doesn’t require any special skill or knowledge that you can’t master. Nor does it entail exotic or expensive equipment. Anyone can do it with simple household tools […]
Get your toy trains ready for the holidays While cleaning out my parents’ attic I found my old trains. Even after I had grown up and moved away, Mom and Dad still used them for years around their Christmas tree. Now, however, my trains have been boxed up and haven’t run for five years. I’d […]
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society announced a $50,000 matching grant for the restoration of seven former New York Central passenger cars. Built in 1941 for the Empire State Express, they were acquired from New York’s Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum and arrived at the Fort Wayne group’s shop in […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak has said to expect “single-tracking delays and speed restrictions” as it resumes service between New York Penn Station and Albany, N.Y., today (Thursday, Nov. 16) following four days of disruptions because of structural issues with a parking garage above its tracks in New York City. A message on its AmtrakNECAlerts social […]
Unique holiday train rides With the holiday season approaching, tourist railroads and museums around the country are ramping up for what is now the busy season. The winter was the time to start prepping equipment for off-season maintenance, in order to be ready for springtime operations, but no longer. Holiday-themed trains are now big business, […]
KIEL, Germany — The first of what will be multiple fleets of new battery-electric multiple-unit, or BEMU, trainsets have entered passenger service in northern Germany. The Stadler-built, two-car FLIRT trains debuted two weeks ago. They are designed to replace diesel multiple units and operate as regular electric trains when running on electrified lines. Each of […]
SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, France — Alstom, the world’s second-largest rail rolling stock manufacturer is seeking to sell up to 1 billion euros in assets (about $1.09 billion) and cut 1,500 jobs as it faces a negative cash flow and a massive drop in stock value, Reuters reports. The company is also considering a capital increase. The company, […]
PORTLAND, Ore. — A TriMet MAX light rail train and Portland streetcar collided in an intersection east of downtown Portland on Wednesday, briefly pinning the streetcar operator and sending that operator and one passenger to the hospital with minor injuries. The collision occurred about 10:20 a.m. at the intersection of Northeast 7th Avenue and Holladay […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. rail traffic rebounded for the week ending Nov. 11, with overall volume up 3.4%, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. That bounce came after two straight weeks in which traffic had declined compared to the same week a year earlier. The latest week’s traffic included 497,348 carloads and […]
