SALT LAKE CITY — If you’ve ever wanted your own Comet, here’s your chance. A Comet commuter coach, that is. KSTU-TV reports the Utah Transit Authority is selling its 25 ex-NJ Transit Comet commuter cars at auction. TNT Auction is offering the cars in an online auction through Nov. 1, with an opening bid of […]
CHICAGO — Metra’s board of directors has awarded a $14.5 million contract to renovate its portion of the Metra Electric District station at Homewood, Ill., which has already seen significant improvements by Amtrak for its portion of the shared structure. The contract includes construction of a new headhouse, including an ADA-accessible ramp, platform renovation, improvements […]
WATERBURY, Conn. — Nine passengers suffered minor injuries after a Metro-North train on the Waterbury Branch struck a tractor-trailer at a grade crossing late Monday morning, WTNH-TV reports. Thirty to 35 people were reported on the train when the accident occurred about 11 a.m. The driver of the tractor-trailer refused medical attention. Patch.com reports that […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner, which was only restored to twice-a-day round trips in July after finding funds to restore full service, is about to be trimmed once again to one daily round trip between St. Louis and Kansas City. Effective Oct. 24 through Nov. 16, westbound train No. 311 and eastbound No. 316 […]
When the prolific and influential California photographer Stan Kistler won the Railway & Locomotive Society’s prestigious Fred A. and Jane R. Stindt Photography Award in 1996, he earned what might be considered the ultimate citation for a photographer: “He has not only documented the railroads of the West, but crafted beautiful images that will last […]
WASHINGTON — Canadian National is challenging some conclusions federal regulators reached in their draft environmental review of the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger. Chief among them: The assumption that the merged Canadian Pacific Kansas City would not increase fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. CN, in an Oct. 14 filing with the Surface Transportation […]
Abandoned railroads In railroad operations, what is an abandoned railroad? If a railroad abandons a part of its line, does it still physically own the right-of-way? But who owns the right away when the tracks go away? Using some online resources, Cody answers this question in this video of Ask Trains. Do you have questions […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — It could still be as long as mid-January before passenger rail service resumes through the section of South Orange County where traffic has been stopped by an unstable slope next to the railroad tracks, the Times of San Diego reports. The news site reports the Orange County Transportation Authority has finalized […]
CUMBERLAND, Md. — Echoing off the walls of the Cumberland Narrows, a Pennsylvania Railroad three-chime passenger whistle symbolized a new preservation partnership between the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona, Pa., and the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. An evening dinner train to benefit restoration of the museum’s PRR Class K4s 4-6-2 engine No. 1361 (Juniata Shops, […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — On a sunny Thursday afternoon, officials from Canadian National Railway and Wabtec gathered outside Wabtec’s Fort Worth locomotive factory to celebrate the delivery of a brand new locomotive for Canadian National Railway. Or so it appeared. In fact, the officials were posing for photos with AC44C6M No. 3300, the first of […]
PORTLAND, Maine — When Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad’s GE diesel No. 1 came up lame last week, the railroad’s close relationship with the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum proved its value. Without another locomotive, Maine Narrow Gauge annulled its trains on Tuesday. Learning of the problem, the WW&F offered its Plymouth diesel No. 52 […]
BOSTON — The Federal Transit Administration has no plans to take over operations of the troubled Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said during a Friday hearing that also saw sharp criticism of MBTA management by Massachusetts’ two U.S. senators. U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, both Democrats, took part in the […]
