SAN FRANCISCO — A 1.3-mile extension of Caltrain and California’s high-speed rail line to a transit center in downtown San Francisco would cost $6.7 billion, according to a new estimate from the agency which would oversee the project. The San Jose Mercury News reports the figure from the Transbay Joint Powers Authority represents a 34% […]
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FILLMORE, Calif. — Replacement of a bridge on a rail line operated by Sierra Northern that washed out in this month’s heavy rains may cost $1.5 million, the Ventura County Star reports. About a quarter of the 450-foot bridge was washed away on Jan. 10, apparently by debris that damaged then knocked out the concrete […]
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CHICAGO — None of the individual delays that befell numerous cross-country Amtrak trains during the last week were as lengthy or dramatic as the 37-hour ordeal experienced by more than 500 Auto Train passengers on Jan. 12. But recurring tardiness on several routes, coupled with reduced equipment availability triggering sellouts and high fares, has posed […]
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MARCEL, Calif. — The Union Pacific main line over Tehachapi pass reopened late Saturday following the derailment of a train earlier in the day, BNSF reports in a customer notification on its website. The train involved was apparently a Union Pacific train, despite an initial news report indicating a BNSF train had been involved. The […]
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SANTA MARIA, Calif. — A section of Union Pacific’s Coast Line that connects the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles remains closed to freight and passenger service following a series of winter storms that pummeled the Golden State during the first two weeks of January. Union Pacific crews are currently working to stabilize a […]
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SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Work to stabilize a slope along the rail line between Los Angeles and San Diego may face new delays, after contractors discovered placement of ground anchors may conflict with earlier efforts to stabilize homes on the hillside above. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that installation of some of the anchors, which […]
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One locomotive and seven cars of a Union Pacific train derailed in the Feather River Canyon in California’s Plumas County on Saturday night because of a landslide, Plumas News reports. The crew was rescued, a Union Pacific spokesman told the news site, but work continues to clear the derailed cars. The remote location of the […]
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WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A recent public briefing by Sierra Northern Railway and local non-profit Valley Vision on Sierra Northern’s hydrogen locomotive project is now available for review online. The program outlined the project’s ability to improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve quality of life in lineside communities. The briefing is available […]
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PERRIS, Calif. – The Southern California Railroad Museum, formerly known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum, is sponsoring a night photo shoot April 22. The event will run 6 to 10p.m. Space is limited to 25 photographers, and reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The photoshoot will use open flash photography and feature […]
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SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — A series of storms that have brought significant rain to California have slowed efforts to repair an unstable slope along the Surf Line in Orange County, pushing back efforts to restore through rail passenger service between Los Angeles and San Diego while also raising the cost of the repair effort. The […]
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What was your first byline in Trains? David Lustig: It was a photograph in the September 1964 issue of a new Southern Pacific EMD DD35 diesel in Los Angeles. I was 16 and armed with an Argus C3 camera. I took the picture, drove home, and developed and printed it. I was so excited when […]
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SAN FRANCISCO — In 2022 California’s Caltrain achieved a number of milestones for its $2.44 billion electrification project from San Francisco to its Tamien Station in San Jose, Calif. It’s the largest electrification project in the U.S. since Amtrak completed electrification of its Northeast Corridor from New Haven to Boston in 2000. Construction on the […]
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