Thursday afternoon rail news: — In the latest in a series of efforts to stop construction of a high speed rail line between Dallas and Houton, a group of Texas state legislators have written the U.S. Department of Transportation, asking it to halt work on the Texas Central Railway project. The Bryan-College Station Eagle reports […]
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More Thursday morning rail news: — The operator of the Ottawa, Ontario, light rail Confederation Line has outlined a plan to fix a length list of problems with the 7-month-old transit operation, but he city’s director of rail operations says the plan doesn’t meet the city requirements and does not include a timeline for fixing […]
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A Sounder South commuter train arrives in Tacoma, Wash., in June 2018. Sound Transit will further reduce Sounder South service as of Wednesday. TRAINS: David Lassen Tuesday morning virus-related rail news: — Sound Transit has halted almost all construction because of the COVID-19 outbreak, stalling work on three light rail expansion projects. The Seattle Times […]
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Canada’s Minister of Transport, Marc Garneau, has announced new orders restricting speeds of trains transporting hazardous materials, and updating rules regarding track safety and inspections. The first of the three ministerial orders issued Friday replaces temporary rules issued on Feb. 6 in response to a Canadian Pacific derailment and fire [see “Canadian government orders speed […]
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Sunday rail news related to the coronavirus pandemic: — D.C. Metro will further reduce rail and bus service on Monday, with rail service ending at 9 p.m. and bus service ending at 11 p.m. Service will begin at 5 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends. In announcing the cuts, Metro said the decision […]
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MONTREAL – Canadian National continues to scale back its operations as traffic declines amid the coronavirus pandemic. The railroad furloughed several hundred people in the past week, on top of the 1,400 who were furloughed in the past couple of weeks, CEO JJ Ruest said on an investor webcast Thursday. CN’s traffic was down 13% […]
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A Rocky Mountaineer train arrives in Kamloops, British Columbia, in October 2018. The passenger operator has delayed the start of its 2020 season. Bob Johnston More Tuesday morning rail news: — Rocky Mountaineer, the luxury rail operation from Vancouver, British Columbia, to the Canadian Rockies, will delay the start of its season until July 1. […]
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A Saturday morning update of rail operation changes because of the COVID-19 outbreak: — San Francisco’s Muni is shutting down all light rail service as of Monday, March 30, replacing the service with buses. Subway stations will be closed, except for those also used by Bay Area Rapid Transit trains. Closure of the Muni Metro […]
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GUELPH, Ontario — Coming off the heels of a record year for carloadings, the Guelph Junction Railway is seeking a new operator for the line. A record 5,192 carloads were moved by current operator Ontario Southland Railway in 2019, a 12% increase over 2018 levels and 8% more than the last record year in 2017. […]
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More Friday rail news: — VIA Rail Canada has announced further service cuts because of the coronavirus pandemic, extending suspensions of the Montreal-Halifax Ocean, Toronto-Vancouver Canadian, and Jasper-Prince Rupert service until at least May 1, the CBC reports. Montreal-Senneterre and Montreal-Jonquiere, Quebec, trains will be reduced to one round trip per week, as will Sudbury-White […]
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Passengers board the Missouri River Runner at Kirkwood, Mo., in 2014. A state house committee has voted to overturn a plan which would cut the service from two round trips to one. Bob Johnston More Tuesday morning rail news: — Amtrak says it and its state partners will need $1 billion in assistance as a […]
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Monday morning news on passenger and commuter rail systems affected by the coronavirus outbreak: — Amtrak has further reduced operations on the Northeast Corridor, leaving about 40% of the normal weekday schedule in operation, the passenger railroad said Sunday afternoon. Also, in its first schedule change outside of the eastern U.S., Amtrak has cancelled the […]
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