BERLIN —The InnoTrans trade fair in late September brought together almost all major manufacturers, large and small, serving the global rail industry. Every InnoTrans edition has one or more overall themes in terms of new technology, and in 2024 the buzz words were AI (Artificial Intelligence) and alternative power sources for trains. In both cases, […]
ATLANTA — Operation of Amtrak’s Crescent has been suspended between Atlanta and New Orleans because of a bridge issue on Norfolk Southern’s main line near Slidell, La. The Amtrak Alerts feed on X.com reported on Monday, Oct. 1, that the southbound Crescent that left New York on Sept. 30 was being terminated in Meridian, Miss., […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s governor has signed legislation giving the state more authority in managing the LOSSAN Rail Corridor, the route of Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner between San Diego and San Luis Obispo, as well as Metrolink and Coaster commuter trains. SB 1098, sponsored by state Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas), allows the state’s secretary of transportation […]
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Service on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Green Line remains disrupted today (Oct. 2) following a Tuesday derailment of a Green Line train — an incident the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. The MBTA says in a post on social media site X that shuttle buses continue to replace service between […]
TRENTON, N.J. — A New Jersey state senate committee has approved a bill that would require two-person crews for freight trains and set a maximum length of 8,500 feet for “dangerous hazardous trains.” Bill S3389, sponsored by Sens. Patrick Diegnan Jr. (D-Middlesex) and Raj Mukerji (D-Hudson), defines “dangerous hazardous trains” as those carrying tank cars […]
WASHINGTON — The Union Pacific conductor struck and killed by a Metra train in Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 4 had left the locomotive of his freight train to address a hot-wheel report from a wayside detector, the National Transportation Safety Board says in am preliminary investigation report issued today (Tuesday, Oct. 1). The incident occurred […]
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Seven people were taken to hospitals for treatment following the derailment of a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line train this evening (Oct. 1) near the Lechmere station in Cambridge, WBTS-TV reports. The incident occurred about 5 p.m. About 50 people were reported to have evacuated from the light rail vehicle onto […]
BOSTON — Keolis Commuter Services, contract operator of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, has announced plans to release a Request for Proposals for battery-electric rolling stock later this year. The new equipment will be used on the commuter system’s Fairmount Line under a plan proposed by Keolis last year and approved by the MBTA board […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific says it’s already successfully handling the surge in container volume at West Coast ports, which began weeks ago as shippers sought to dodge a potential strike at ports on the East Coast. “As part of our strategy of Safety, Service and Operational Excellence, we expect the unexpected. We keep a buffer […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The rail industry has suffered a setback in its efforts to block California rules that would require the use of zero-emission locomotives in the state by 2030, as a federal judge stayed the case while awaiting a federal ruling on the state’s application to regulate older locomotives. Courthouse News Service reports that […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has launched express carload service linking the Pacific Northwest with Denver and Salt Lake City. The three-day a week service — with departures from Spokane, Wash., on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays — cuts transit time in half compared to traditional carload. The transit time from Spokane to Denver is […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority eliminated 37 speed restrictions on an 18-mile section of track during a 24-day shutdown of a portion of its Red Line Braintree Branch, the transit agency says. Work was conducted between the JFK/UMass stations from Sept. 6 to Sept. 29, with one day of work also extended onto […]
