Amtrak awards contracts for New Jersey’s Sawtooth Bridges project

Aerial view of rail bridge across other rail lines

KEARNY, N.J. — Amtrak has awarded contracts for another major Northeast Corridor project, the Sawtooth Bridge replacement, the company announced Thursday, Dec. 19. A Skansa, Walsh & Herzog joint venture received the contract for pre-construction activities, with future contract opportunities for the project’s full construction. A joint venture of AECOM and STV also received a […]

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Ted Van Pelt’s Sn3 Rio Grande Southern

Title screen from layout visit video showing steam locomotive and passenger cars passing coal tower and businesses.

In the February 2025 issue of Model Railroader, readers got to learn more about Ted Van Pelt’s Sn3 Rio Grande Southern. The 22 x 22-foot layout, set in Colorado in 1930, features narrow gauge freight and passenger action, many scratchbuilt structures, and photo backdrops of prototype locations in the Centennial State. The walk-in layout has […]

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Ted Van Pelt’s Sn3 Rio Grande Southern

Title screen from layout visit video showing steam locomotive and passenger cars passing coal tower and businesses.

In the February 2025 issue of Model Railroader, readers got to learn more about Ted Van Pelt’s Sn3 Rio Grande Southern. The 22 x 22-foot layout, set in Colorado in 1930, features narrow gauge freight and passenger action, many scratchbuilt structures, and photo backdrops of prototype locations in the Centennial State. The walk-in layout has […]

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Nigerian commuter service using Talgos from Wisconsin resumes

Talgo trainsets sitting on sidings

LAGOS, Nigeria — The Lagos commuter rail service using Talgo trainsets built for but never used by the state of Wisconsin has resumed operation. Operations on the 27-kilometer (16.7-mile) Red Line Mass Transit service were suspended indefinitely on Dec. 4, after mechanical issues on Dec. 2-3 [see “Nigerian commuter operation … is halted,” Trains News […]

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MBTA commuter rail workers ratify new contract agreements

Commuter rail train with purple locomotive arrives at station

BOSTON — Keolis Commuter Services, the operator of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail trains, has reached amended labor agreements with an additional nine of the company’s 14 unions. The agreements, which still need to be ratified by members of each union, will be retroactive to July 1, 2023, when the contracts became amendable, Keolis […]

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Texas Tunnel

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The eastbound Southern Pacific Sunset Limited approaches the Memorial Tunnel at El Paso, Texas, on March 15, 1952. Born in 1894, the Sunset had received its latest upgrade in 1950. Classic Trains collection […]

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Amtrak Inspector General report: Long-distance fleet order delayed as carbuilders balk

WASHINGTON—Despite responses from prospective manufacturers indicating already-published concepts for replacing bilevel Superliners would be difficult to execute, Amtrak management moved ahead with requests that carbuilders subsequently rejected. The result has been a seven-month delay in issuing a final Request for Proposals that might be acceptable to remaining bidders. That’s among the conclusions of Amtrak’s independent […]

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Transit in 2024: MBTA makes major strides toward turnaround

Worker welding in subway tunnel

Little more than a year ago, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was battered by problems and criticism. Its rail system was riddled with slow orders. Delivery of new rolling stock from China’s CRRC was far behind schedule. And it was still trying to correct issues addressed in directives from the Federal Transit Authority in 2022. […]

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Florida county applies for federal funds for Brightline station

Passenger train at grade crossing

STUART, Fla. — Martin County, Fla., has applied for a $45 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration for a proposed Brightline station in the Stuart, part of its ongoing effort to salvage a station proposal that the city of Stuart initially sought before withdrawing. The newspaper TC Palm reports the county submitted its request […]

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