Naugatuck Railroad FL9 sustains ‘significant damage’ in derailment

FL9NH2019

THOMASTON, Conn. — No injuries resulted when the Naugatuck Railroad’s restored New Haven FL9 locomotive, No. 2019, derailed during a Sunday, June 29, excursion — an incident captured on video and circulating on social media. The locomotive sustained “significant damage,” the Railroad Museum of New England said in a statement. Thirty-five passengers were on board […]

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New staff director named for House rail subcommittee

Trains Washington Watch logo

WASHINGTON — Mark Ratto has been promoted to staff director of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) has announced. Ratto joined the committee staff in July 2022 and is credited with helping to draft key sections of the Promoting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and […]

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Siemens announces Charger B+AC battery-electric locomotives

Three-quarters view of blue and silver passenger locomotive

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The battery-electric versions of the Siemens Charger locomotives to be built for MTA’s Metro-North Railroad will be known as the Charger B+AC, Siemens said today (June 27, 2025). In emphasizing the new locomotive’s suitability for commuter operations, the company also announced it will be available in additional power options. Metro-North had announced […]

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SEPTA board approves budget with 45% service cuts

Map of SEPTA rail network showing lines to be cut

PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority board has approved a fiscal 2026 budget including a 45% cut in service and a 21.5% fare increase to address a $213 million deficit. “This is a vote none of us wanted to take,” SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. said in a press release following the […]

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TWU ratifies contract with Conrail

Logo of Transport Workers Union of America

WASHINGTON — Members of the Transport Workers Union have ratified a new five-year contract with Conrail including a 17.5% wage increase, the union has announced. Journeyman carmen will make more than $100,000 a year by the end of the contract. TWU International President John Samuelsen called the deal “a big win for TWU railroad workers” […]

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Long-term plan for MARC service includes route extensions, increased frequencies

BALTIMORE — Expanded weekday and weekend operation and extension of two of the system’s three lines are among changes proposed for MARC commuter train service in a report released Wednesday (June 25, 2025) by the Maryland Department of Transportation. The 76-page MARC Growth and Transformation Plan includes five-year, 15-year, and “unconstrained” (longer-term) plans. “Thanks to […]

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News photo: Amtrak now using converted P42 as cab car

Blue and red converted locomotive on end of passenger train.

Former P42 locomotive No. 184 has been transformed into non-powered cab car No. 9700, shown seen here trailing southbound Empire Service train 244 at Garrison, N.Y. Amtrak is beginning to utilize these new conversions instead of aging converted F40 locomotives and ex-Metroliner cab cars, dating from the 1960s, to facilitate push-pull service. Conversion of the […]

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Amtrak schedules hit by equipment, heat issues (updated)

Blue passenger locomotive next to station platfrom

Amtrak has experienced a series of train cancellations because of “equipment unavailability,” as well as due to heat issues, in the Midwest and East on Tuesday and today (June 25, 2025), according to the company’s social media feeds. In the Midwest, Wolverine Train No. 355, a 5:28 pm. departure from Pontiac, Mich., to Chicago, has […]

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Head of MBTA’s contract commuter operator to depart

Head shot of man in suit with office in background

BOSTON — The CEO of Keolis Commuter Services, contract operator of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter trains, is departing to return to a position with the operator’s parent company in France. Parent company Keolis Group announced on Monday (June 23) that Abdellah Chajai will depart to become executive director of marketing, innovation, sustainable development, and […]

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NJ Transit holds groundbreaking for new Raritan River lift bridge

Illustration of rail bridge with center lift span and approaching ship

PERTH AMBOY, N.J. — NJ Transit marked groundbreaking for the next phase of the new Raritan River Bridge — construction of a new center span — with ceremonies today featuring Gov. Phil Murphy and other officials. The new lift bridge to accommodate marine traffic will replace the current 117-year-old swing bridge on the structure connecting […]

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