MBTA, Keolis complete rail replacement on Fairmount Line

Map of MBTA commuter rail Fairmount Line

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has completed more than 28 miles of rail replacement on its Fairmount Line, part of work in preparation for the eventual launch of battery-electric train service on the 9.2-mile, nine-station commuter line between South Station and Readville, Mass. Service on the route, which has been modified since the […]

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Berkshire & Eastern proves good service drives growth: Analysis

Pat Ottensmeyer, the late Kansas City Southern chief executive, had a favorite saying: Service begets growth. It’s not the most catchy phrase you’ll ever hear. But it’s true. And nowhere is that more apparent than in New England, where Genesee & Wyoming’s Berkshire & Eastern is growing a bumper crop of freight in the middle […]

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Capacity pinch points trigger Thanksgiving Amtrak sellouts, high fares

Large crowds waiting for trains in Chicago

CHICAGO — As expected, shortened consists and surging holiday demand are responsible for Amtrak sellouts across the country, notably on segments of virtually every long-distance train nearest population centers, as well as on the Pacific Northwest’s Cascades, New York State’s Empire Service, and Midwest corridors. Repeating their analysis earlier this year for the Labor Day […]

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New York MTA opens facility to inspect, test subway equipment

Interior of servicing facility for subway equipment

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has opened a new Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility, where the MTA will inspect and test new subway cars and other equipment before it is placed into service. The facility — the first new subway-car facility opened by the MTA since 1948 — is near the South Brooklyn Marine […]

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Detailed schedule released for CSX Santa Train

Route map for CSX Santa Train

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — A detailed schedule has now been released for the 83rd CSX Santa Train, the Appalachian holiday tradition launched by the predecessor Clinchfield Railroad that makes its annual run from Shelbiana, Ky., to Kingsport, Tenn., on Saturday (Nov. 22, 2025). CSX employees, along with volunteers from partner organizations such as Appalachian Power, Food […]

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BLET announces tentative agreement with SEPTA

Logo of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union

PHILADELPHIA — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has reached a tentative one-year deal with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, a rare bit of good news for the problem-plagued transit agency. The union announced that the deal, covering engineers who operate Regional Rail trains, would include a 5% pay increase effective July 5, 2026. […]

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Rebrand just part of Gold Runner’s path forward

Train and bus with multicolored striping parked at right angles

  STOCKTON, Calif. — The transportation menu of trains and buses running between the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California via the state’s Central Valley didn’t change following a Nov. 14 ribbon-cutting ceremony for what is now known as Gold Runner service. But that event at the Altamont Corridor Express maintenance facility in Stockton, […]

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