Amtrak’s City of New Orleans at Chebanse

Passenger train passes through small town in dim pre-dawn light.

Join me in early mid-March, beside Amtrak City of New Orleans at Chebanse, Ill., a few weeks ahead of farmer’s spring planting — about 70 miles south of Chicago. It’s a breezy, crisp early morning before sunrise. The camera’s ISO is notched up to 2500. A lamp brightens the interior of the Chebanse depot, but […]

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Canadian National launches second train pair serving Port of Halifax

Locomotive moving cars of containers with ship and dock in background

MONTREAL – Canadian National has added a second pair of intermodal trains linking the Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with points in Eastern Canada and the U.S. Midwest. The railway launched trains Q122 and Q123 this month, joining existing trains Q120 and Q121 that serve Atlantic Canada’s busiest containerport. “Working with our partner PSA, this […]

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Four arrested for alleged Amtrak health-care fraud

U.S. Department of Justice seal

NEWARK, N.J. — Four people have been arrested and charged for their roles in a health-care fraud scheme that resulted in Amtrak paying at least $9 million in medical claims to those associated with the scheme. A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey says Muhammad Mirza, 50, of […]

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Silence on railfan photo lines

Silence on railfan photo lines: A high-angle image of a steam and diesel locomotive in a tree covered mountain landscape.

Silence on railfan photo lines is growing in importance as technology evolves and we find new, exciting ways to capture the essence of railroading when participating in rail photography charters. Those of us more enamored with still photography than videography may need to dial in on our photo line etiquette in consideration of how these […]

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MBTA halts service on two subway lines over structural concerns

Diagram showing closed subway stations in downtown Boston

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has suspended some service on its Orange and Green Line subway lines in downtown Boston after the discovery of what the agency termed “a structural issue” with a parking garage being demolished. The MBTA said in a Thursday press release that the company demolishing the Government Center Parking […]

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Amtrak awards preliminary design contract for Penn Station expansion

Train arrives in underground station as people stand on platform

NEW YORK — Amtrak has awarded a contract to engineering, design, and consulting firm Arup to begin preliminary design for expansion of New York’s Penn Station. The contract, announced Thursday and awarded in partnership with NJ Transit and coordination with New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will allow design work to begin for new tracks, platforms, […]

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State will provide funding for Nebraska industrial park

HERSHEY, Neb. — Nebraska officials will provide $30 million toward construction of a rail-served industrial park near North Platte, Neb., backers of the project have learned. The North Platte Telegraph reports the North Platte Area Chamber & Development Corp. was informed Wednesday that it has qualified for the state funding by securing local commitments of […]

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Amtrak names Harris as president

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has once again split the positions of chief executive officer and president, with CEO Stephen Gardner announcing the appointment of Roger Harris as president and the promotion of Gerhard (Gery) Williams to executive vice president, service delivery and operations. Gardner had become president and CEO in January following the announced retirement of […]

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Amtrak finalizes order for additional Charger locomotives

Black locomotive with blue and white stripes leads passenger train

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has finalized an order for 50 additional Siemens Charger locomotives for long-distance passenger service. The deal was originally reported by Trains News Wire in February [see “Amtrak to order 50 more …,” News Wire, Feb. 8, 2022]. The latest order will bring to 125 the number of ALC42 locomotives purchased by Amtrak. […]

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Federal Maritime Commission members urge STB to reject CP-KCS merger

Red locomotive with freight in Illinois

WASHINGTON — Three of the Federal Maritime Commission’s five members have urged the Surface Transportation Board to reject the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, saying the deal would hurt U.S. ports. Canadian ports — particularly Vancouver and Prince Rupert in British Columbia — have been gaining market share for containerized traffic that’s ultimately bound […]

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