SONOMA, Calif. — The Golden Gate Railroad Museum has cancelled scheduled Labor Day weekend excursions with Southern Pacific 4-6-2 No. 2472 — the last scheduled operation before the locomotive’s required 15-year boiler inspection — citing “unsafe bridge conditions” on trackage owned by commuter operator Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit. In a news release on its website, […]
BALTIMORE — A member of Baltimore’s city council has questioned the failure of Maryland’s environmental agency to monitor methane levels at CSX Transportation’s Curtis Bay Coal Piers, and is calling for the immediate suspension of operations at the facility. WJZ-TV reports the comments of Councilwoman Phylicia Porter came Wednesday during a council hearing on the […]
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has called for implementation of a form of positive train control on Canadian railroads and new crew training measures as a result of its investigation into a 2019 collision of two Canadian National trains near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. The TSB found that factors in the […]
WASHINGTON — The parties in the dispute over Amtrak’s effort to launch Gulf Coast service have asked the Surface Transportation Board to extend the period for board-sponsored mediation by 30 days. In a joint motion filed Wednesday, Aug. 24, by CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, Amtrak, and the Alabama State Port Authority, the parties say “an […]
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — For the second time, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will launch a pilot program offering extensive weekday commuter rail service to the Foxboro station, which generally has only seen service for events at the adjacent Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. The one-year pilot will offer 11 inbound trips and […]
WASHINGTON — In a rare occurrence for 2022, U.S. freight rail traffic for the week ending Aug. 20 was up over the same week a year ago — albeit by the barest of margins. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, traffic for the week was 501,548 carloads and intermodal units — an […]
In August of 2022, Trains.com staff had a chance to travel from Chicago, Ill., to St. Louis, Mo., along the Illinois Hi-speed Rail corridor. For this trip, riders were treated to the newest equipment operating in the Amtrak Midwest fleet, Siemens-built Venture coaches. Discover some of the major (and subtle ones too!) features these coaches […]
LOS ANGELES — Mechanical issues that have taken 19 of its 55 locomotives out of service have led commuter rail operator Metrolink to reduce service on three of its routes this week. The cancellations began Tuesday, Aug. 23, and cover one round trip on each line. After initially being announced as extending until further notice, […]
Trains LIVE — Passenger Columnist Bob Johnston TrainsLIVE — 08-24-2022 — this week, Bob Lettenberger talks with Trains Magazine’s own Passenger Columnist Bob Johnston to talk about the best and brightest of Amtrak during Trains.com’s #amtrakweek! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Trains LIVE is a regular video segment, recorded live and unscripted from Kalmbach Media. The series began in July […]
Trains LIVE — Passenger Columnist Bob Johnston TrainsLIVE — 08-24-2022 — this week, Bob Lettenberger talks with Trains Magazine’s own Passenger Columnist Bob Johnston to talk about the best and brightest of Amtrak during Trains.com’s #amtrakweek! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Trains LIVE is a regular video segment, recorded live and unscripted from Kalmbach Media. The series began in July […]
BREMERVORDE, Germany — Germany’s pioneering hydrogen-fuel-cell powered passenger trains have achieved the next step in their launch, fully handling service on their Cuxhaven-Bremervörde-Butexhude route as of today. Alstom, manufacturer of the 14 Coradia iLint trainsets, called the 100% hydrogen operation of the route a “historical milestone” in a press release. The trains had begun operation […]
Oddball diesels in North America: Oddball diesel locomotives are the exception, not the rule. For the most part, North American railroads are interested in performance and reliability when it comes to motive power. And why not? A disabled locomotive at the point of a freight train going nowhere is not something – from the people […]
