More Friday morning rail news: Capitol Corridor website now offering occupancy information on trains, connecting buses Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor has added an occupancy information tool on its website to provide passengers awareness of how full a given train may be. The tool, available here, uses recent ridership numbers to indicate vacancy rates on individual trains. […]
Read More…
Thursday midday rail news: Valley Metro orders 14 new Siemens light rail vehicles Phoenix-area transit agency Valley Metro has ordered 14 S700 light rail vehicles from Siemens Mobility to join 11 of the trainsets already in service. The equipment, to be built in Sacramento, Calif., will help accommodate the needs of an expanding system, and […]
Read More…
By G. Mac Sebree History of the Pacific Electric Railway By any standard, the Pacific Electric was the largest interurban electric railway in the United States. It boasted more than 1,000 miles of track and had 1,000-plus cars. It played a major role in building up the vast open areas surrounding Los Angeles. The cities […]
Read More…
Tuesday morning rail news: San Diego-area agency seeks STB order protecting maintenance work on eroding coastal bluffs The North County Transit District, which operates the San Diego-area Coaster commuter trains, has petitioned the Surface Transportation Board for an order to keep the city of Del Mar and the California Coastal Commission from regulating maintenance and […]
Read More…
FORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway is now able to handle a surge in domestic intermodal volume in Southern California that caught the entire supply chain by surprise starting in late June. “At BNSF we really saw our demand pick up about 30% in some of our key hubs – at Hobart in Southern California, […]
Read More…
Like a grade-school report, “What I did on my spring 2020 vacation,” this story is about optimism in the face of confusion and lack of resources. We had just started a new little garden railway loop in front of our house, but hidden from the street. Having built a gallery along the walkway, we next […]
Read More…
BNSF Railway and Union Pacific are facing varying degrees of congestion from a spike in domestic intermodal volume in Southern California. The railroads reported significant week-over-week overall intermodal volume increases as of July 18, with UP’s volume up 10% and BNSF’s up 8%, according to their weekly Association of American Railroads carload reports. The surge […]
Read More…
Monday morning rail news: Change to ballot initiative could cut Caltrain funding, may be illegal, legislators say A proposed change to a ballot initiative meant to generate tax support for Caltrain could mean the San Francisco Bay commuter railroad receives little or no revenue from the tax, according to a group of legislators. The San […]
Read More…
Friday morning rail industry news: Progressive Rail seeks to end 10-year deal to operate line in Santa Cruz, Calif. Minnesota-based shortline company Progressive Rail wants out of its 10-year contract to operate a 32-mile line serving Santa Cruz, Calif., after just two years, according to the government agency that owns the line. The Aptos Times […]
Read More…
More Monday morning rail news: California legislature wants high speed rail agency to hold off on contract A majority of members of the California Assembly have co-sponsored a resolution asking the California High-Speed Rail Authority to defer a contract due to be awarded this year for construction of the high speed line between Merced and […]
Read More…
Thursday morning rail news in brief: BART announces ‘Welcome Back Plan’ Bay Area Rapid Transit has introduced a 15-step “Welcome Back Plan” for riders returning to the San Francisco-area rail system after the COVID-19 lockdown, including use of long trains to accommodate social distancing, increased train frequency as ridership dictates, and a possible new seating […]
Read More…
A Google Maps 3D view shows a portion of California’s Dumbarton Rail Bridge, idle since 1982. Facebook is reconsidering its part in funding studies to create a commuter rail service that would use the bridge. Google Maps Tuesday morning rail news in brief: Facebook may pull back from funding transit study Facebook is reconsidering its […]
Read More…