Use of LA Union Station for Oscars leads to Amtrak operation changes Amtrak operations at Los Angeles Union Station will be affected April 5-27 by the station’s use as one of two sites for the 93rd Academy Awards, to be held April 25. From April 5 to 23, and April 26-27, Thruway buses will be […]
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A year behind schedule because of three COVID-related delays, the board of California’s High-Speed Rail Authority voted 6-3 Thursday to send a business plan to the state legislature calling for an initial operating segment between Central Valley cities of Merced and Bakersfield, with the possibility of opening that segment as a single-track […]
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MBTA Orange Line work after derailment extended to April 11 The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has extended its shutdown of a portion of the Orange Line by one week, through April 11. NBC-10 Boston reports the use of shuttle buses between the Oak Grove and Sullivan Square stations will continue as the agency continues infrastructure […]
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Dallas City Council approves $1.7 billion ‘D2’ subway project The Dallas City Council has approved building a new light rail route through downtown including a subway section with three underground stations. WFAA-TV reports the council also said it would support Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s effort to obtain an $800 million Federal Transit Administration grant to […]
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Anticipating rail travel demand comes with dual challenges: incur costs running trains with initial low patronage, or risk not providing enough options to build revenue and transportation relevance. Amtrak will begin restoring daily departures for its long-distance trains in late May, after receiving directives and $1.7 billion from Congress [see “As Amtrak […]
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Department of Justice in talks with California to settle suit over funds withheld from high speed rail project The U.S. Department of Justice is in talks with California to settle a lawsuit resulting from the Trump administration’s cancellation of a $929 million grant for the state’s high speed rail project. Reuters reports the Justice Department […]
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Boxcars assigned to less-than-carload (LCL) service — including several Southern Pacific “Overnight” boxcars — are being loaded on parallel tracks at Pacific Electric’s 8th Street Freight Station in Los Angeles in the 1940s. PE was an SP subsidiary. Pacific Electric […]
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Landowners sue SMART, saying use of right-of-way for trail is illegal Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit is being sued by a group of landowners over the commuter railroad’s use of its right-of-way to build a trackside bike and pedestrian trail. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports that the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in San […]
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California agencies set online ‘Corridor Conversations’ event about passenger rail service The agency that manages Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner service is hosting a free public online event, “Corridor Conversations,” featuring presentations from and a roundtable discussion by leadership of California’s three state-supported intercity passenger rail corridors. Participants will include Donna DeMartino, managing director of the host […]
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The effort to develop alternative-fuel locomotives continues to gain momentum. The California Energy Commission has awarded Sierra Northern Railway and research and development firm GTI almost $4 million to fund design, development, and demonstration of a hydrogen fuel cell-powered switching locomotive. The funds will retire a Tier 0 diesel and replace it […]
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Caltrain schedule changes include two more weekday trains Caltrain will make schedule changes as of March 22, adjusting its weekday and weekend schedules to support regional transit connections. In a press release, the commuter railroad says the changes will maintain connections with BART at the Millbrae Transit Center to coincide with BART’s March 22 schedule […]
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Crew misunderstanding, lack of ‘physical defenses’ play part in CP Calgary accident, TSB says A yard crew’s misunderstanding of track permission granted to an intermodal train, along with a lack of “physical defenses” such as signals, led to a collision and derailment of two Canadian Pacific trains near Calgary’s Alyth Yard in March 2019, the […]
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