CHICAGO — A trio of law firms have filed the latest suit on behalf of a passenger injured in the June 27 derailment of Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, with one of the firms saying “the ongoing carelessness” of Amtrak and BNSF is the cause of the accident. Passenger Marion Stephens will be represented in the suit […]
PADUCAH, Ky. — Two Paducah & Louisville Railways locomotives have been repainted and numbered to reflect the 35th anniversary of the 280-mile short line, formed from former Illinois Central Gulf lines in 1986. The locomotives, seen on July 8, 2022, were repainted by Progress Rail in Mayfield, Ky., to reflect the original P&L paint scheme, […]
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A substantial increase in weekday service on Metro-North’s Waterbury Branch and new express trains between New Haven and New York’s Grand Central Terminal highlight new schedules that took effect Sunday, July 10. Reflecting recent infrastructure upgrades, the number of weekday trains on the Waterbury Branch will go from 15 to 22, a […]
NEWARK, N.J. — Fourteen NJ Transit rail employees have filed suit against the transit agency, saying it failed to protect them from assaults and other abuse from passengers. The non-profit news site New Jersey Monitor reports the suit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey contends the agency was aware of […]
PETALUMA, Calif. — Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit will build a second station in the city of Petaluma thanks to a $13 million state grant. KPIX-TV reports the funds from California’s State Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program will go to construction of the Petaluma North station, 4.4 miles of pathway, and grade-crossing improvements. Petaluma Transit […]
WASHINGTON — A private railroad serving an industrial park in the Houston area has filed paperwork with the Surface Transportation Board to become a common-carrier operation. TGS Cedar Port Railroad will operate 1.28 miles of track in the Cedar Port Industrial Park in Baytown, Texas. The trackage, which connects with Union Pacific, originally was part […]
STOCKTON, Calif. — The parent agency of Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail service has received $57 million in state funding for planned extension of ACE service from Ceres to Turlock, Calif. The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission says the funds for the 10-mile southward extension come from the state’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program […]
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada has received a 72-hour strike notice from the union representing 2,400 of its workers, creating the possibility the passenger operator will suspend all services as of 12:01 a.m. EDT on Monday, July 11. The Unifor union represents VIA on-board, station, maintenance, administrative, and customer-center employees. Unifor said this week that […]
OGDEN, Utah — A U.S. Forest Service review has upheld a decision granting right-of-way to a portion of the Uinta Basin Railway project, the last major regulatory barrier to the proposed 85-mile line to serve oilfields in Utah. The Salt Lake Tribune reports several environmental groups had challenged the Forest Service’s decision to approve the […]
CHICAGO — Key contributors seeking $251.1 million from a federal competitive grant program focused on Chicago Union Station improvements at a Thursday event to announce their involvement. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner, and Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski were among the speakers at the station’s Burlington Room, explaining […]
BETTENDORF, Iowa — Canadian Pacific has agreed to pay the city of Bettendorf $3 million to address the community’s concerns over increased traffic resulting from its planned merger with Kansas City Southern. The Quad Cities Times reports that the agreement — which is subject to Surface Transportation Board approval of the merger — was agreed […]
HOMEWOOD, Ill. — Canadian National will spend $485 million on capital projects in eight states as the U.S. portion of its capital plan for 2022, the railroad has announced. Overall, the company will spend more than C$2.6 billion on its capital program. It had previously announced almost C$2 billion in Canadian projects [see “CN announces […]
