Manitoba wildfires threaten remote Keewatin Railway

Smoke and fire along railway

THE PAS, Manitoba — Keewatin Railway Co. employees are part of a continuing effort to save the bridges on the remote Manitoba railroad from the wildfires ravaging the province, the CBC reports. Manitoba is under a state of emergency as 29 wildfires, 10 of them out of control, continue to burn, forcing evacuations of 27 […]

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Reading & Northern promotes Raffa to EVP marketing and sales

Head shot of man with mustache in pink shirt

PORT CLINTON, Pa. — The Reading & Northern Railroad has promoted Jim Raffa to executive vice president, marketing and sales, the company has announced. In his new position, Raffa will assist CEO Andy Muller and President Wayne Michel in creating and implementing the company’s commercial strategy. The R&N has seen freight traffic increase more than […]

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FRA, FTA projects among those to receive grants from funding backlog

View of underground station platform

WASHINGTON — Thirty-four Federal Railroad Administration projects and 154 under the Federal Transit Administration are among a batch of more than 500 Department of Transportation projects that had previously been approved that have now received their financial obligation, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced today (June 10, 2025). The 529 projects, with funding of more than […]

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Ethanol cars on UP train derail in Texas; no spill reported

Image from X.com of overturned tank car at derailment in Waxahachie, Texas. USE ONLY AS "FEATURED IMAGE"

? BREAKING: Train derailment in downtown Waxahachie ? Happened just before midnight. 16 cars jumped tracks, 14 are tanker cars carrying ethanol. City officials confirm no leaks, no injuries, no immediate danger to the public. We’re live on scene on @NBCDFW with updates. pic.twitter.com/fh4uBv0CHT — Alanna Quillen (@AlannaNBC5) June 10, 2025 WAXAHACHIE, Texas — Sixteen […]

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California lawmakers announce deal on transit funding

New transit train with mountains in background

SACRAMENTO — California legislators have reached a deal to provide almost $2 billion in funding for the state’s public transit that was not part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget. The deal announced by state Sens. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Jesse Arreguin (D-Berkeley) restores a $1.1 billion transit cut included in Newsom’s budget, and […]

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Two trains derail in UP incident in Wyoming

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

SINCLAIR, Wyo. — At least 15 cars derailed in an incident Monday (June 9) involving two Union Pacific trains, Cowboy State Daily reports. The incident was reported about 9:30 a.m. A Union Pacific representative told the news site in an email that cars on two trains had derailed near Sinclair, and that there were no […]

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UP’s Lincoln locomotive to be displayed in Omaha

Red, maroon, and gray locomotive in shop building

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific’s Abraham Lincoln commemorative locomotive will be displayed at baseball’s College World Series, the railroad has announced. The locomotive, along with cars from the UP heritage fleet, will be on display at the railroad’s “Home Plate” location adjacent to Charles Schwab Field, site of the baseball tournament, from noon to 6 […]

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A 2025 Big Steam Summer

Big steam locomotive rounds curve during late summer

Spring has sprung some big highlights for big steam in 2025. After a two-week stay at the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Nickel Plate Road No. 765 made a historic detour along the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway — plus three employee appreciation trips out of Brewster, Ohio, on May 10 — before heading to the […]

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Phoenix light rail system opens 5.5-mile addition

Light rail trainset in downtown Phoenix

PHOENIX — The Phoenix light rail system has grown by 5.5 miles, and gone from a single route to a two-line system, after the opening of the South Central Extension and Downtown Hub on Saturday, June 7. The opening of Valley Metro’s seven-station extension southward along Central Avenue from downtown to Baseline Road is projected […]

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Some of my favorite train stations

Sunlight lights the interior of a glass and steel arched train shed where three passenger trains await departure

Among the delights of railroad travel is departing and arriving at great stations. I have more than a few favorite stations, so I’ll limit today’s essay to active stations served by regularly scheduled trains. This excludes favorites that are gone but not forgotten, such as Philadelphia’s magnificent Broad Street Station; station buildings that survive but […]

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