HAGERSTOWN, Md. — MARC commuter train service continues without change into West Virginia, even though a deadline for West Virginia to fund the service has passed, with a local legislator saying negotiations are continuing. MARC’s Brunswick line from Washington, D.C., serves two West Virginia communities — Duffields and Martinsburg — even though West Virginia has never […]
A Newark-bound NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line train arrives at Newark Penn Station in June 2019 with ALP45-DP No. 4519 at the point. NJ Transit has approved a bond issue to pay for 17 more of the locomotives as well as 600 buses. Ralph Spielman NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit’s board has approved a bond […]
A Coaster commuter train climbs Miramar Hill near San Diego in January 2016. Coaster and Amtrak service to San Diego will be disrupted this week by work to address bluff erosion in Del Mar, Calif. TRAINS: David Lassen DEL MAR, Calif. — Work to stabilize eroding coastal bluffs in Del Mar will disrupt Amtrak Surfliner […]
GLEN BURNIE, Md. — A $4.7 million renovation of the Amtrak and MARC commuter rail station at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is now complete. The 14-month project began in August 2018, and provides expanded seating, with charging stations for phones and other personal electronics, new ticketing facilities, improved restrooms, and refreshment and snack options. […]
WASHINGTON – The final version of a defense funding bill in Congress would ban federal funding for transit equipment from Chinese companies — but would also delay that ban for two years in most cases. Roll Call reports that the conference version of the National Defense Authorization Act would prohibit the use of federal dollars […]
Don Orseno receives a gift marking his retirement as Metra CEO during a Chicago Rail Superintendents Association event in November 2017. Behind him is current Metra CEO James Derwinski. Orseno was named to Metra’s board of directors on Wednesday. TRAINS: David Lassen This Metra locomotive was repainted in Rock Island colors and named for Don […]
NEW YORK — How do you make existing subway cars compatible with new signaling at a faster rate for less? Over 300 rail industry attendees, engineering innovators, and academic experts representing 100 firms from four continents attended the Subway Signaling Innovation Summit, held Tuesday at New York University to find out. The event was a […]
NEW YORK — Deliveries of new Bombardier subway equipment is almost three years behind schedule, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority failed to adequately oversee the manufacturer’s performance, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer reports in an audit released Monday. MTA’s $600 million contract with Bombardier Transit Corp. to produce 300 R-179 subway cars was […]
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority equipment sits outside the Riverside Shops in Newton, Mass., in 2011. A new report is highly critical of MBTA practices saying safety is not a priority. It said the issues primarily exist with transit operations, rather than commuter rail. Scott A. Hartley BOSTON — A highly critical report commissioned in the […]
In December 2019, Classic Trains is celebrating the history, heritage, and splendor of the Denver & Rio Grande Western. Enjoy this photo gallery, originally published online in July 2015, as the perfect salute to the Rio Grande. Return each week for another salute to the railroad of the month! See what we did last week […]
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Kalamazoo will become the latest Michigan city to lose a staffed ticket office at its Amtrak station, WWMT-TV reports. The TV station reports the ticket office will close “at the beginning of 2020.” It follows similar moves East Lansing, Niles, Jackson, and Flint, which saw their ticket offices close in 2018 [see […]
Officials in Yorkville will discuss the four possible sites for a Metra station at a Tuesday meeting. Kendall Extension Study OSWEGO, Ill. — Two communities hoping to bring Metra service to Kendall County, Ill., will retain the service of a Chicago lobbying firm to continue the effort to extend the BNSF Line service, as well […]
