Monday morning rail news: Department of Transportation turns down labor request for national mask rule The U.S. Department of Transportation on Friday turned down a request by a coalition of labor unions to require passengers to wear masks on airplanes, trains and other forms of transportation, a decision the group called “unfathomable.” Rolling Stone reports the DOT […]
Pennsylvania rail news: Court ruling could lead to change of shortline operators (updated) A Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision could change who operates five short lines in the state. PennLive.com reports that the decision means a 2015 vote by the Susquehanna Economic Development Assocation-Council of Governments Joint Rail Authority, or SEDA-COG JRA, should have awarded a seven-year contract […]
More Monday morning rail news: CN sets Canadian grain record for seventh straight month Canadian National moved a record amount of Canadian grain for the seventh straight month, transporting 2.43 million metric tons of grain in September. The railroad moved 7.76 million metric tons in the third quarter of 2020. As is the case with […]
WASHINGTON – A Canadian pension fund is teaming with shortline holding company Jaguar Transportation to acquire five shortline railroads totalling more than 450 miles, according to a regulatory filing. The railroads involved in the transaction, which is expected to take effect on Nov. 1, include: ● The 245-mile Cimarron Valley Railroad, which operates in Kansas, […]
Longtime Trains and Classic Trains staffer J. David Ingles died Oct. 4 near his home in Waukesha, Wis., after a short illness. He was 79. The son and grandson of railroaders, Ingles was a lifelong rail enthusiast. He grew up in Homewood, Ill., and Dearborn, Mich. After college and a stint as a newspaper reporter in Springfield, Ill., he […]
Friday morning rail news: Weekend rail service to San Diego suspended for maintenance work Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service between Oceanside, Calif., and San Deiego, and Metrolink commuter train service to Oceanside, will be suspended this weekend for the first of two weekends of maintenance work on the North County Transit District’s rail line in San […]
Friday afternoon rail news: CP sets records for Canadian grain movement in third quarter, September Canadian Pacific has reported the latest in a series of records for Canadian grain traffic, setting records of 7.72 million metric tons for the third quarter and 2.8 million metric tons in September. The records continue to reflect the introduction […]
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. […]
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 […]
Thursday morning rail news: American Society of Civil Engineers warns of $5 trillion infrastructure funding gap The American Society of Civil Engineers warns that the gap between current spending and the need to maintain the U.S. infrastructure in a state of good repair has reached $5 trillion, measured in 2019 dollars. In preliminary findings for […]
HOMEWOOD, Ill. — Shovels were out Monday, manned for the cameras by masked Amtrak, Metra, and civic officials that helped arrange $29 million of federal and local funding that will enhance the original 1923 Illinois Central Homewood, Ill., facility with features that make it completely accessible to passengers with disabilities. Construction began in July on […]
Presidential candidate Joe Biden is set to operate a campaign train across Ohio and Pennsylvania and Ohio on Wednesday, following tonight’s first debate with President Donald Trump in Cleveland. After departing Cleveland, Biden’s train is scheduled to stop in Alliance, Ohio, with a tentative time of 11:45 a.m., according to WFMJ-TV. While Biden will make […]
