Brightline marks topping off of new Aventura station

Aerial view of passenger station under construction with pedestrian bridge

AVENTURA, Fla. — Brightline and contractor Lemartec have announced the topping off for the passenger operator’s new Aventura station, which occurred in the early-morning hours of Oct. 8 with the placement of a 131-foot-long pedestrian skybridge over the Harriet Tubman Highway (formerly West Dixie Highway) and the double-track Florida East Coast Railway main line used […]

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News photos: Aerial views show extent of Seminole Gulf damage

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Aerial photos from Trains News Wire contributor Sol Tucker provide some indication of the extent of the damage sustained by southwest Florida’s Seminole Gulf Railway as a result of Hurricane Ian. The photos were taken Friday (Oct. 7). Railroad officials said earlier this week that at least a half-dozen bridges on […]

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City of New Orleans, Crescent resume seven-day operation

Passenger train on curve

NEW ORLEANS — Amtrak will finally restore daily service to and from New Orleans on the Crescent and City of New Orleans, among the last of the routes that have only offered five-day-a-week operations since service cuts in January. Saturday and Sunday service on both the Chicago-New Orleans City route and the New York-New Orleans […]

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SunRail restores service to one station

Commuter train rounds curve with city skyline in background

ORLANDO, Fla. — SunRail will resume train service today (Thursday, Oct. 6) to the Tupperware station, one of three closed since the area was hit by Hurricane Ian, the commuter operator announced. The two southernmost stations on the SunRail route, Kissimmee/Amtrak and Poinciana, will continue to be served by a bus bridge while track repairs […]

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Seminole Gulf Railway faces lengthy closure after hurricane

Map of railroad in southwest Florida

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Florida’s Seminole Gulf Railway could be shut down for up to six months because of damage suffered from Hurricane Ian, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports. Executive Vice President Robert Fay told the Business Journal the railroad had lost six bridges as a result of the storm, including three totaling 1,300 linear […]

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CSX makes $200,000 donation to hurricane relief

CSX logo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation will contribute $200,000 to support Hurricane Ian relief and recovery efforts in Florida and South Carolina, the company announced Friday. “CSX cares deeply about the communities where we operate and our thoughts are with all those in Florida and South Carolina that have been impacted by Hurricane Ian,” CSX CEO […]

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“TAG Route” freight

Tennessee Alabama and Gulf Coast Railway in Chattanooga

The Tennessee, Alabama & Gulf’s entire diesel roster — a GP38, GP18, and three GP7s — heads a freight out of Chattanooga in 1970. The 90-mile TA&G, which linked Chattanooga with Gadsden, Ala., was absorbed by the Southern Railway Jan. 1, 1971. William J. Husa Jr. photo […]

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Amtrak, SunRail resuming operations after hurricane

Passenger train stops at station at dusk

Amtrak has resumed some of its service that has been cancelled as a result of Hurricane Ian, with some modifications, while Orlando-area commuter operator SunRail will resume operations with a modified schedule on Monday. As of today (Sunday, Oct. 2) regular service is resuming for both directions of Auto Train between Lorton, Va., and Sanford, […]

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