SALT LAKE CITY — Two Utah cities are considering employing 24-hour-a-day flaggers at grade crossings to restore a quiet zone on a stretch of Union Pacific track also used by Utah Transit Authority commuter trains. Two quiet zones, stretching from Ogden to Provo and in place for up to 16 years, were suspended last Sept. […]
UNION, Ill. — The Illinois Railway Museum is currently auctioning off surplus items ranging from a former Chicago & North Western steam locomotive tender to a pickup truck to tools and artwork. A total of 112 items are available and are listed here. The auction ends Friday, Jan. 17, at 10 a.m. CT. Items are […]
WASHINGTON — Four state-supported Amtrak routes, Connecticut’s CTRail, and Florida’s Brightline will receive a total of more than $146 million for service improvements from the Federal Railroad Administration, the agency announced today (Friday, Jan. 10). The funding comes from the Restoration and Enhancement Grant Program. It was announced at the same time as FRA funding […]
BOSTON — Five rail-related projects are among those in Massachusetts to receive U.S. Department of Transportation funding under various Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant programs, Gov. Maura Healey and the state’s congressional delegation announced on Thursday, Jan. 9. In all, 11 projects were selected to receive a total of more than $102 million in funding. Three […]
Planning a visit to a heritage rail operation? You can avoid disappointment by researching your journey using readily available tools. While this may seem obvious, the specifics can elude even seasoned travelers. The internet and smartphones have changed travel. A wealth of up-to-the-minute information is available at your fingertips. This makes it much easier to […]
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Switching Services, the freight operator on the state-owned Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad, has been selected by the Maine Department of Transportation to operate and maintain the state’s Rockland Branch, a 57-mile former Maine Central line. However, a pilot program to test passenger service on the route, in coordination with the […]
LOS ANGELES — The firestorm devastating Southern California is, inevitably, affecting rail operations. Metrolink has suspended operations today (Thursday, Jan. 9) on its Antelope Valley Line between Lancaster and Vista Canyon because of firefighting activity, the operator reports. The suspension is until further notice. According to a Los Angeles Times map, the Lidia fire, at […]
TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling for development of a freight rail bypass to the west of Toronto that he says would allow “significant, longer-term expansion” of GO Transit commuter rail service in the region. In a letter today (Jan. 9, 2025) to the chairman of provincial transit agency Metrolinx, posted on X.com, […]
ORLANDO — The SunRail commuter service, funded and operated by Florida’s Department of Transportation since its opening in 2014, is locally funded as of Jan. 1. Spectrum News reports the local members of the governing Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission — Volusia, Seminole, Orange, and Osceola counties, and the city of Orlando — authorized the […]
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators will attempt to close security gaps on the U.S. rail system for exports destined for Mexico and Canada through a new rulemaking by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The proposed rule, posted Wednesday, Jan. 8., would require the electronic transmission of rail export cargo manifest data, including an initial filing 24 […]
WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic showed a slight uptick over 2024 in the first report from the Association of American Railroads for 2025. Overall volume for the week ending Jan. 4 was 421,410 carloads and intermodal units, a 1% increase over the first week a year ago. That included 198,500 carloads, down 4.6%, and […]
SACRAMENTO — The state of California has unveiled a $310 billion plan to expand the state’s rail network to increase its share of passenger travel from 2% to 20% by 2050 through a network featuring extensive electrification and zero-emission operations. The new State Rail Plan was announced Jan. 7 by Gov. Gavin Newsom. It envisions […]
