As transit agencies plot their recovery from the devastating effects of the 2020 pandemic, a common denominator is emerging: more riders need city buses than suburban trains. The revelation portends diminishing investment in rail. Commuter rail systems typically serve affluent suburban residents, more of whom work in office environments. In large part, those offices have […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Digest: Metrolink to revise schedules Nov. 16
Wednesday morning rail news: Metrolink to make schedule changes Nov. 16 Six of Metrolink’s seven lines will see schedule adjustments on Nov. 16, with a total of nine trains on the LA-area commuter rail system dropped because of low ridership. Three trains will be added; other changes include creation of two express trains and some […]
Digest: Plan advances to lower fares on two Metra lines
Tuesday morning rail news: Metra board to vote on proposal to lower fares on two lines Fares on the Metra Electric and Rock Island District lines would drop to $2.50 per ride, the same as those for Chicago Transit Authority L service, under a proposal by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. The Fair Transit […]
BNSF and Union Pacific in Rochelle IL
Union Pacific to Clinton, Iowa 64.5 miles BNSF to Savanna, Illinois 60.0 miles BNSF to Aurora 45.3 miles UP to Proviso 59.6 miles Watch live railroading action 24 hours per day on TrainsMag.com! Our Rochelle Web Cam captures live action as the BNSF and Union Pacific main lines cross. Learn about Rochelle’s Railroad Park […]
Rochelle Web cam – Frequently Asked Question
Q. I don’t get motion and/or sound. What’s wrong with the camera? A. Likely nothing. While outages happen, they are relatively rare. The biggest cause of user distress is outdated software. We recommend updating the Adobe Flash Player plugin regularly and using a modern web browser, such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, to view […]
Rochelle, Ill., Railroad Webcam
Union Pacific to Clinton, Iowa 64.5 miles BNSF to Savanna, Illinois 60.0 miles BNSF to Aurora 45.3 miles UP to Proviso 59.6 miles Watch live railroading action 24 hours per day on TrainsMag.com! Our Rochelle Web Cam captures live action as the BNSF and Union Pacific main lines cross. Learn about Rochelle’s Railroad Park […]
Railroad official: Boxcars won’t go over ‘retirement cliff’
NORFOLK, Va. — The aging North American boxcar fleet will remain large enough to handle demand in the coming decade even though boxcars are being retired at a faster rate than new cars are being built, a Norfolk Southern official told a shipper conference on Monday. Shippers and railcar leasing companies have expressed concern over […]
Digest: Cumbres & Toltec resumes trips from Chama, N.M.
Still more Monday morning rail news: Cumbres & Toltec resumes trips from Chama The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is resuming trips out of Chama, N.M., as of today and plans to operate from Chama for a month. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the railroad, which has had its operations significantly curtailed because […]
Norfolk Southern may idle additional hump yards
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern CEO Jim Squires hinted today that the railroad may idle more hump yards. NS has shut down the humps at four classification yards in the past year — Allentown, Pa.; Sheffield, Ala; Linwood, N.C.; and Bellevue, Ohio — as its shift to a Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model reduces the […]
Union Pacific reduces train dispatcher ranks by more than 10%
OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific has cut more than 60 dispatching positions at its Harriman Dispatching Center in Omaha and its joint dispatching office in Spring, Texas, this week. The affected dispatchers, who are management employees, were notified on Thursday and Friday that their jobs were being eliminated, according to a person familiar with the […]
Five railroads respond to joint STB-FRA letter
Five Class I railroads have now responded to last month’s joint letter from the Surface Transportation Board and Federal Railroad Adminstration, mostly in general terms assuring the two agencies that they are prepared for an upsurge in traffic. The letter to CEOs at the seven Class I roads asked railroads to ensure they have sufficient […]
Analysis: Amtrak bookings show strength of sleeper business, tickets bought near departure
CHICAGO — Amtrak’s plan to restore daily service on long-distance routes following cuts to triweekly service set for October is based, in part, on advance reservations for spring and summer travel as of February 2021. But spot checks of sellout trends on several routes, as well as Amtrak analyses of daily and weekly patronage obtained […]
