Amtrak is looking to hire individuals who will restore agent staffing at 15 stations in 12 states, responding to a congressional mandate to do so. The passenger railroad says in a statement that “These uniformed workers will be trained to assist our customers with booking and boarding trains, including helping with unaccompanied minors, carry-on baggage […]
A Brightline train departs West Palm Beach, Fla., in January 2019. The passenger operator, shut down since late March, says service will remain suspended for “the coming months.” TRAINS: David Lassen Virgin Trains USA says its Brightline passenger service in Florida will remain suspended for months, giving no indication when service might resume. In a […]
More Friday rail news in brief: CN to offer Halifax-Moncton intermodal service Canadian National has announced a new short-haul intermodal service designed to decrease truck traffic in the Halifax, Nova Scotia, area. In conjunction with the Halifax Port Authority, ocean carriers, and customers, the railroad will add service between its Moncton, N.B., intermodal ramp and […]
A Miami-bound Tri-Rail train departs Boynton Beach, Fla. Tri-Rail is adding a car to its consists to aid in social distancing and plans to add four trains a day on June 1. TRAINS: David Lassen Friday morning rail news in brief: Tri-Rail prepares for more passengers South Florida commuter railroad Tri-Rail will expand its trainsets […]
PUEBLO, Colo. — Amtrak’s next-generation Acela has achieved a testing milestone, reaching speeds up to 165 mph in testing at the Association of American Railroads’ Transportation Technology Center Inc. near Pueblo. That is faster than the equipment’s planned top operating speed of 160 mph. Amtrak has posted video of the train in operation courtesy of […]
More Friday rail news in brief: Union Pacific lays off workers at North Platte, Neb. Union Pacific has laid off an undisclosed number of mechanical-department workers based at its massive Bailey Yard in North Platte, Neb. The North Platte Telegraph quotes UP spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza as saying that with the decline in volume because of […]
Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad president Greg Vreeland uses hand signals after attaching track tongs to a 200-foot section of 100-pound rail held by a contractor’s excavator on May 11, 2020. The rail is being moved into place on a new alignment while the excavator sits on what will be the new Wild Rivers Trail alignment […]
PHILADELPHIA — In coordination with state partners at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, beginning June 1, Amtrak is fully restoring Pennsylvanian service (New York – Philadelphia – Pittsburgh) frequencies and Keystone Service (New York – Philadelphia – Harrisburg) trains will begin operating again on a modified schedule in response to anticipated increased demand. Modified Keystone […]
Canadian Pacific’s Bensenville Yard as seen from the window of a commercial flight that just took off from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in September 2015. Chris Guss CHICAGO — Agreements have been reached between Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific, and the Illinois Tollway in a years-long dispute over access to railroad property in and around the […]
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit will resume service at the West Side Avenue Station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail along the West Side Avenue Branch on Saturday, May 23, following the completion of required utility work by the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority. This will complete the reopening of the entire West Side Avenue Branch. […]
Royal Gorge Route Railroad owner warns of permanent closure UPDATED — CAÑON CITY, Colo. (via KRDO) — In a post on the Royal Gorge Route Railroad’s Facebook page, the railroad announced it will open, after all, on May 23. No other details were available. In previous statements, Mark Greska, the Royal Gorge Route Railroad’s owner said […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board announced today that it is adopting a final rule amending its railroad performance data reporting rules to include certain chemical and plastics traffic as a distinct reporting category to the Class I railroads’ weekly reporting for the “cars-held” metric. The cars-held metric tracks the average number of loaded and […]
