BATON ROUGE — A poll has found strong support for creation of a passenger rail service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The poll, funded by business interest in the two cities, found about 75% of respondents were supportive of the idea after hearing the train would offer an alternative to driving between the cities. […]
Type of Train: Passenger/Transit
Chinese workers and the first Transcontinental Railroad
Workers who built the first Transcontinental Railroad, by hand, in the late 1860s labored through grueling heat, biting winter cold, snow, attacks from Native American tribes, and long, long work days. Learn how they did it with this excerpt from one of Trains’ newest DVD’s, Journey To Promontory, available from the Kalmbach Hobby Store. […]
Amtrak rejects ceding Union Station control to Metra NEWSWIRE
Amtrak’s Ray Lang speaks at Tuesday’s hearing in Chicago on commuter rail issues. To his left is Metra CEO Jim Derwinski. Others are Patricia Caslin of BNSF, John Friedmann of Norfolk Southern, and Mike Matteucci, regional director for Canadian National. Richard Wronski CHICAGO — Amtrak is rejecting a proposal to let Metra take over operations […]
Commuter rail group aims for more clout in Washington D.C. NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Look no farther than positive train control to understand the motivation behind the formation of the Commuter Rail Coalition, an advocacy group for U.S. commuter rail agencies. The nation’s commuter railroads will spend $4.1 billion to implement PTC, an unfunded congressional mandate that has forced some transit agencies to delay needed repair or […]
Indiana Senate shuns amendment to fund ‘Hoosier State’ NEWSWIRE
INDIANAPOLIS — Odds of saving Amtrak’s Hoosier State continued to fade Tuesday as the Indiana Senate left funding for the train out of its version of the two-year state budget, the Lafayette (Ind.) Journal & Courier reports. State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) had said he would offer an amendment to continue the state’s $3 million […]
Metra board approves consultant contracts for railcar, locomotive purchases NEWSWIRE
CHICAGO — Metra’s board of directors on Wednesday approved contracts totaling $13.6 million to two consultants to assist the commuter rail agency in purchasing locomotives and coaches. One contract, for $10 million, was awarded to STV Inc. of Philadelphia, Pa., to provide quality assurance, engineering, and administrative assistance for Metra’s planned purchase of new commuter […]
Metra gets state funding for two new stations in Chicago NEWSWIRE
An inbound Metra Union Pacific North train passes through the Rogers Park station on April 13, 2019. Metra announced it is receiving funding for two new stations in Chicago, one of them just south of Rogers Park on the UP North line. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — Metra announced today that funds from the state […]
MTA grills vendors on PTC equipment issues NEWSWIRE
NEW YORK — Metropolitan Transportation Authority Patrick Foye said Monday that installation of positive train control on the Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road is being delayed by “an appalling industrial performance” by a key vendor, setting up a grilling of representative of two vendors at the Metro-North and Long Island committee meeting. Almost 40 […]
Private cars unwelcomed at Washington Union Station NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Private varnish will become a rare sight at Washington Union Station for the foreseeable future as concourse modernization work limits the switching and layover of private railcars in the Nation’s Capital. Amtrak has already denied several private car trips originating in Washington Union Station as soon as early May, citing recent changes in […]
Metra launches app to allow passengers to report safety, security issues NEWSWIRE
A screenshot of the new Metra COPS app. Metra CHICAGO — Metra has introduced a smartphone app to allow customers to quickly report crimes, suspicious activity, and other safety or security concerns. Metra says the Metra COPS app “is meant for the reporting of safety and security issues on Metra trains and facilities, such as […]
New York’s L Train construction project to begin April 26 NEWSWIRE
A brochure outlines information on the New York City Subway’s L Train construction project. Courtesy of MTA/Ralph Spielman NEW YORK — After much debate and hand wringing, the major construction project for the New York City subway L Train is at hand. While the construction figures to bring disruptions for riders between Brooklyn and Manhattan, […]
Ontario to delay funding for high speed rail NEWSWIRE
TORONTO — The current Conservative government of the province of Ontario says it will pause funding for a planned high speed rail line between Toronto and Windsor, Ont., a project announced by the previous Liberal government that would have cut the travel time between the two cities from four hours to two. Transportation minister Jeff […]
