Durango & Silverton adds additional Highline Express trips

Steam-powered train crosses bridge

DURANGO — The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has added Wednesday departures to its evening Highline Express train beginning this week, adding four more trips to the new 3½-hour steam excursion introduced on July 1. The new offering, currently planned only for July, now will operate Mondays through Wednesdays, departing Durango at 4:30 p.m. […]

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‘Borealis’ carries more than 18,500 in first month, Amtrak says

Passenger train on slight curve under cloudy skies

CHICAGO — Preliminary figures for the first month of Amtrak’s state-supported Borealis show the train is averaging about 300 passengers each way daily, or more than 18,500 people in the first month, according to Amtrak. The second train on the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul portion of the route also served by the Empire Builder launched on May […]

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First hearing on future of Chicago transit set for Tuesday

Commuter train passes under signal bridge

CHICAGO — A series of hearings to consider the future of public transit in the Chicago area — including a proposal to merge the four boards overseeing three transit systems and the umbrella agency overseeing them — is set to begin Tuesday in Chicago. The six hearings of the Illinois Senate Transportation Committee have been […]

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From the Cab: How fast ya’ going?

train moving fast at night

How fast ya’ going? The legendary John Luther “Casey” Jones forever linked the heroic railroad engineer with speed. He was the lone casualty when his train crashed in an attempt to get his “Cannonball” back on schedule. For the most part, steam engines lacked speedometers. Skill and a trusted pocket watch worked aptly for safe […]

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Fifteen cars of UP coal train derail in Nebraska

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

GIBBON, Neb. — Approximately 15 cars of a Union Pacific coal train derailed today (Sunday, July 7) in Gibbon, KGFW Radio reports. No injuries were reported. The incident was reported to the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office about 2:24 a.m., according to KVRN Radio, and occurred at the intersection of U.S. Route 30 and Pawnee Road […]

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Travel: Riding Amtrak’s ‘Keystone’ and ‘Pennsylvanian’

Amtrak train on track with trees in background

Amtrak’s Keystone and Pennsylvanian One of the most famous passenger routes in the East is the former Pennsylvania Railroad trunk between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, known for hosting the New York-Chicago Broadway Limited. I’m a big fan of this route, known as the Main Line. The name stems from the original transportation corridor, the Main Line […]

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Amtrak NEC service halted between New York, Boston

Amtrak high speed train meets Metro-North electric multiple-unit trainset

NEW YORK — Amtrak service between New York City and Boston was cancelled for the remainder of today (Saturday, July 6) as of mid-afternoon because of “an ongoing electric power issue,” the passenger operator said in a service alert on its website posted at 5:50 p.m. ET. An earlier notification indicated that the problem was […]

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Big Boy vs. Peru Hill

Big Boy on track

On Wednesday, July 3, 2024, Union Pacific No. 4014 departed Rock Springs, Wyo., bound for Evanston. This would be the third operating day of almost a month as part of what UP calls its “Westward Bound Tour.” The first two days, from Cheyenne to Rock Springs, found the Big Boy operating on the main line […]

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Rail labor opposes Amtrak request for waiver to deal with ‘loss of shunt’ until testing data is shared (updated)

Passenger train next to signal bungalow and signal worker's truck.

WASHINGTON — Three labor organizations have opposed Amtrak’s request for a waiver allowing installation of a device the company claims will prevent incidents where trains fail to trigger track circuits. As a result, a decades-old issue that recently has forced Amtrak to assign at least seven Superliners to trains operated over Canadian National’s Chicago-Carbondale, Ill., […]

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