Monday morning rail news: President gives nod for proposed Alaska rail link President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Friday that he plans to issue a permit for a proposed railroad connecting Alaska to Canada, thereby allowing through rail service to the rest of the U.S. and Canada. The Anchorage Daily News said the […]
WASHINGTON — “Hold that train — he’s coming through the concourse!” Delaying the 5 p.m. Metroliner or Acela Express by a minute or two didn’t happen often during Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s 36-year tenure as a U.S. Senator from Delaware, but personnel manning the gates at Washington Union Station learned to always be on the […]
Friday morning rail transit news: Brightline, Miami-Dade move closer to commuter rail agreement Brightline and Miami-Dade County are closer to an agreement on commuter rail operation on the southern portion of Brightline’s route, and a competition is planned to decide where to build stations for the service. The Miami Herald reports a memo from Mayor […]
More Friday morning rail news: Project manager selected for Chicago-Rockford passenger effort The long-running effort to restore passenger rail service between Chicago and Rockford has moved forward, with the Illinois Department of Transportation hiring engineering services firm WSP USA as the proposal’s project manager. The Rockford Register Star reports state Sen. Steve Stadelman announced the […]
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The opportunity to gain carload traffic was the main reason Canadian Pacific acquired 481-mile regional railway Central Maine & Quebec, which was once a part of the railway’s historic shortcut from Montreal to the Atlantic at Saint John, New Brunswick. The CMQ — which links the Montreal area with Irving-owned short lines […]
PIKES PEAK, Colo. — The first images have been released of the Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway’s new locomotive-hauled trains under construction in Switzerland. The railroad first shared these images with Trains News Wire of the units, being built by Stadler. The new cars are due to be delivered this winter for testing. […]
NEW YORK — Three Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers have been suspended without pay and face potential termination after building a secret “man cave” under the tracks of New York’s Grand Central Terminal. A report by the Office of the MTA Inspector General says the men used the room — complete with big-screen TV, refrigerator, microwave […]
SCRANTON, Pa. — Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad Alco C420 No. 405 gently broke through a ceremonial ribbon this morning, officially opening Genesee Valley Transportation’s Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad Von Storch Locomotive Shops. Located in the Green Ridge section of Scranton, the steel structure features two 200-foot tracks inside, with an 83-foot walk-in inspection pit. A 20-ton crane will allow […]
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern will idle the hump at Enola Yard outside Harrisburg, Pa., on Friday, the fifth such move the railroad has made in the past year under its shift to a Precision Scheduled Railroading operating plan. “As of Sept. 25, 2020, Norfolk Southern will idle the hump at the Enola Yard. All […]
Commissioners in Ramsey County, Minn., say the effort to launch a second daily train between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago will be the recipient of a $31.8 million federal grant. The Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports an official announcement of the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation is expected […]
Wednesday morning rail news: Legislators urge Massachusetts to buy Pan Am line for future passenger use A group of state legislators has urged Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack to exercise the state’s right of first refusal and purchase a Pan Am Railways route for future passenger service. MassLive.com reports the state has that […]
CHICAGO — Two weeks before Amtrak begins its first cuts changing daily long-distance service to triweekly, the passenger carrier’s website still offers little help to prospective travelers who attempt to book a trip on a day when service will no longer be available, other than an error message: “At least one portion of your trip […]
