A sign of summer: LIRR launches annual ‘Cannonball’ service

Train at platform of underground station

NEW YORK — The Long Island Rail Road launched its “Cannonball” summer service from Penn Station to Montauk, N.Y., on Thursday (May 22), marking a key change in the railroad’s summer schedule that took effect on Monday, May 19. The 4:07 p.m. “Cannonball” train, long a Friday-only operation, added a Thursday train last year. Those […]

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New York governor, Amtrak meet on East River tunnel project

Interior of railroad tunnel

NEW YORK — Amtrak will shut down one tube of the East River Tunnel for major rehabilitation as planned on Friday night, but has agreed to some measures sought by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul during the project, Hochul said in a statement following a meeting today (May 22, 2025) with Amtrak and Metropolitan Transportation […]

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Amtrak on-time performance remains a struggle

Passenger train in late afternoon lighting

WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s overall customer on-time performance improved in the first quarter of 2025, compared to the previous quarter, according to the latest report from the Federal Railroad Administration. But the 72% overall figure is down from 77% in the same quarter a year ago, and none of the company’s three business segments (long distance, […]

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Union Pacific to open new Kansas City intermodal ramp in July

Yellow locomotives lead container train in snowy landscape

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific announced yesterday that it plans to open its new Kansas City Intermodal Terminal in mid-July as the railroad looks to strengthen its position in the Kansas City market. UP would not disclose the terminal’s annual lift capacity, but said the facility, located in Armourdale Yard, will have twice as much […]

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MBTA meeting on South Coast Rail is postponed

Commuter train at station

FALL RIVER, Mass. — A public meeting scheduled by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to address issues with its new South Coast Rail commuter service has been postponed because of weather concerns. The meeting, which had been scheduled for this evening at Morton Middle School, will now be held June 5 at a location yet […]

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U.S. weekly rail traffic remains above 2024 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — Carload traffic provided most of the growth as U.S. weekly rail traffic remained above 2024 levels for the week ending May 17. Figures from the Association of American Railroads show traffic for the week totaled 490,775 carloads and intermodal units, a 3.4% increase over the same week a year ago. That figure included […]

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