PHILADELPHIA — A potential strike against the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has been placed on hold by Transit Workers Union local 234 after the two sides reported progress at the bargaining table before a midnight Thursday/Friday strike deadline. “We’re willing to go the extra mile and grant additional time to reach a fair agreement,” Local […]
LAREDO, Texas — A Mexican national illegally living in Laredo has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for a human smuggling operation using a fake Union Pacific vehicle, the U.S. Attorney’s office has announced. Jesus Aleman-Serrano, 34, had previously pleaded guilty in the case in May. Following the end of his prison term, he […]
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The final operations of the 2024 season for Santa Fe No. 2926 can be described as a photo finish. The 1944-built 4-8-4 was chartered by Pete Lerro for a private photo shoot on Oct. 28-29. Originally planned to be entirely at the Rail Yards complex in Downtown Albuquerque for both days, a […]
CAMARILLO, Calif. — The home of Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle is among those destroyed in the Mountain fire, a wildfire fueled by high winds that has whipped through Ventura County, the Los Angeles Times reports. The house was destroyed Wednesday, after Kettle and his wife had heeded an evacuation order. “When I left the house, […]
A new steam restoration group has purchased former Chesapeake & Ohio Class J3a 4-8-4 passenger locomotive No. 614 (Lima Locomotive Works, 1948) and plans to return it to operating condition. RJD America LLC, a group of railroaders and businessmen with ties to the engine, has completed the purchase from American Freedom Train Foundation, Inc., according […]
WASHINGTON — A tree branch that penetrated the cab windshield struck and killed the operator of a train on NJ Transit’s light rail River Line on Oct. 14, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary investigation report released today. The incident occurred at about 6:02 a.m. when the southbound diesel-powered light rail vehicle […]
ERWIN, Tenn. — Not only will CSX Transportation continues its tradition with the 82nd running of the Clinchfield Santa Train on Saturday, Nov. 23, the railroad is also operating a separate christmas-light-decorated holiday train that will visit Erwin, Tenn., on Thursday, Nov. 21 — two days before the Santa Train. In social media posts today […]
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit’s Franck Beaumin is rolling out four areas of focus in his roadmap as the agency’s new customer advocate. The statewide rail and bus operator, the third-largest U.S. transit agency, named Beaumin to the role of customer advocate in October, ending more than four years with the position vacant [see “NJ […]
WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic showed its biggest gain in seven weeks over the period ending Nov. 2, boosted by a double-digit increase in intermodal traffic. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, weekly volume was 516,743 carloads and intermodal units, a 6.6% gain over the same week in 2023. That was […]
While the final margins may not be determined for some time in several outstanding races, the election results are coming into focus. Former President Donald Trump has been reelected, Republicans have won a majority in the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House will be split fairly closely, as it has been for the past four […]
Is it time to preserve an Amtrak Genesis P40? Since 1993, Amtrak’s iconic Genesis diesels have hauled countless millions of passengers across its network. From Sunset Limited to Downeaster, the Genesis has been the locomotive for generations of Amtrak travelers. While the Genesis models remain among the most common locomotives for long distance passenger service, […]
BERLIN — Germany’s famed Harz Mountain Railway — a 140-kilometer (87.5-mile) meter-gauge network run by the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen (HSB) — has announced plans to make long-term changes to its operation including the future “decarbonization of the popular steam locomotives.” The announcement came as part of a funding deal for this year (providing around $20 million) […]
