CHESTERTON, Ind. — The completion of the South Shore Line’s new West Lake Corridor branch will depend on construction of an underpass beneath CSX Transportation tracks, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District board was told this week. Lakeshore Public Media reports NICTD President Mike Noland said at a Monday, Nov. 25, board meeting that the […]
KEARNY, N.J. — The first of three massive arches that are part of the new Portal North Bridge has arrived by barge and been lifted into place at the construction site on the Hackensack River, a significant advance in the project to replace the current structure, a long-time operational headache on the Northeast Corridor. Three […]
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has formed a second Presidential Emergency Board to address the dispute between NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. The three members of the board were announced by the White House on Nov. 21. The board now has 60 days to produce a report selecting the offer […]
ERWIN, Tenn. — A federal judge has denied a request for a temporary restraining order that would have stopped CSX repair work on the former Clinchfield Railroad line through the Nolichucky River gorge. WJHL-TV reports Judge Martin Reidinger of U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina said some developments since outdoor groups […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s recent maintenance shutdown of a portion of the Red Line has cleared the route of slow orders for the first time in at least 20 years, the MBTA says. The work between the Harvard and Broadway stations Nov. 17-23, and between Harvard and JFK/UMass on Nov. 24, allowed […]
For the 82nd year, CSX’s Santa Train made its journey over the former Clinchfield Railroad on Saturday, Nov. 23, traveling from Shelby, Ky., to Kingsport, Tenn., in an approximately 9-hour, 110-mile trip featuring a dozen intermediate stops in which Santa Claus and volunteers distributed gifts to those visiting the train at trackside. The train, operating […]
ARLINGTON, Va. — The bargaining organization for U.S. Class I railroads has announced a fourth tentative national labor agreement, this time with the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers. The National Carriers Conference Committee announced the deal today (Monday, Nov. 25). It joins earlier deals with the Transportation Communications Union, Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, and […]
WASHINGTON — The increases weren’t large compared to pre-pandemic 2019, but more Northeast Regional frequencies enabled Amtrak to capture enough travel demand to beat the company’s previous overall record ridership in fiscal 2024. Also, a 24% gain in ticket revenue from long-distance trains compared to 2019, in spite of constricted coach and sleeping car capacity, […]
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — A century-old coaling tower built by the Michigan Central Railroad will be torn down next year, leading to a disruption of Amtrak service for up to two weeks, WCOE and WLOI radio report. The massive concrete structure straddling the Amtrak-owned trackage, a local landmark dating to 1923 (some sources say 1924), […]
SAGINAW, Mich. — Two locomotives and five cars of a train derailed on Lake State Railway trackage Sunday afternoon, Nov. 24, spilling corn into the Saginaw River, WWJ Radio reports. The incident occurred about 1:30 p.m. Images on the Detroit News website show one covered hopper ended up on its side at the edge of […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s issues with new rapid-transit equipment built by China’s CRRC have eased, CEO Phillip Eng said last week, with the equipment now arriving on the revised schedule developed earlier this year and performing reliably. “Just last month was the first month they were required to deliver three married pairs, […]
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced he would transfer $153 million in federal highway funds to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, a move he said would avert “critically damaging service cuts and fare increases ahead of our next state budget.” In a Friday, Nov. 22, announcement, Shapiro noted recent highway-repair efforts before saying, […]
