SEATTLE — Sound Transit, in conjunction with King County Metro and the city of Seattle, launched a new on-demand shuttle serving five Link light rail stations in southeast Seattle and Tukwila. Service is provided by Via, which also operates in New York, Chicago, Washington, and Los Angeles. The shared rides cost the same as a […]
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INDIANAPOLIS — State Sen. Ron Alting says he will offer an amendment to the proposed state budget that would restore funding for Amtrak’s Hoosier State service, WLFI-TV reports. Alting, a Republican, represents a district including Lafayette, Ind., one of the communities served on the train’s Chicago-Indianapolis route. He told the TV station, “Many people in […]
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Rep. Dan Lipinski will hold a hearing Tuesday on the Feb. 28 commuter meltdown at Chicago Union Station as well as “other issues for commuters.” CHICAGO — U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) will hold a hearing Tuesday on Amtrak’s technical meltdown that snarled Metra commuter service in February. The hearing will be held in room […]
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Visitors look at models of CRRC equipment at InnoTrans in Berlin during the 2016 trade show. New legislation would block Washington’s Metro from buying equipment from CRRC. TRAINS: David Lassen WASHINGTON — Legislation proposed by Washington-area senators would authorize 10 years of funding for the DC Metro system — but only if Metro agrees not […]
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia railroad club that sponsored the annual New River Train blames its financial woes on the cancellation of its annual October excursions on Amtrak, but an analysis of financial reporting shows the club may have been in trouble long before Amtrak began increasing its chartered private train rates in 2018. […]
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Signal problems caused delays for Metra BNSF trains at Chicago Union Station on Thursday morning. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — Metra BNSF line trains experienced delays arriving and departing from Union Station on Thursday morning because of Amtrak signal problems, WGN-TV reported. Delays of 30 to 45 minutes were reported during the morning commute. “Trains […]
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Restored Big Boy No. 4014 will pull the first public excursion powered by a UP 4000-class ever on May 12. Trains: Jim Wrinn OGDEN, Utah — If you want to ride behind Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 next month, a ticket for a 65-mile one way trip across the Wasatch Grade that was […]
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LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Las Vegas’ transit agency has opted for bus rapid transit over light rail for an upcoming project. The Southern Nevada Regional Transportation Commission board voted unanimously on Thursday for a dedicated-lane bus transit system for its Maryland Parkway corridor project, choosing the bus option over a light rail proposal and an […]
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The Empire Builder crosses the Mississippi River in Hastings, Minn., in September 2018. Planning continues for efforts to launch a second train on the Builder‘s route between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul. TRAINS: David Lassen PORTAGE, Wis. — A proposal for a second daily Amtrak train between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul should receive a waiver exempting […]
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ALEXANDRA, Va. — Positive train control is now fully operational on the Virginia Railway Express system, a milestone achieved Thursday (April 11) when all 32 VRE trains on the Fredericksburg and Manassas lines ran with PTC in operation. “The implementation of PTC takes system safety to the next level,” VRE CEO Doug Allen said in […]
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HARTFORD, Conn. — The commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Transportation says bar cars, once a popular feature on Metro-North’s New Haven Line, are unlikely to return any time soon. Joseph Guilietti, the DOT commissioner and a former Metro-North president, told the Hartford Courant the bar cars would only be viable if an outside vendor was […]
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