More Wednesday morning rail news: — Bombardier is suspending production at its Canadian rail and aircraft plants, sending 12,400 workers home on unpaid leave, the Canadian Press reports. The shutdown was to begin Tuesday evening and last through April 24. The Montreal-based company will idle 9,000 workers in Quebec, with the rest in Ontario, and […]
Wednesday morning rail news, with three of the last commuter rail and transit agencies still on regular schedules announcing coronavirus-related cuts: — New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority will cut service on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad as of Friday, while cuts to subway service that begin today reflect an increasing shortage of […]
Class I railroads have begun closing some automotive ramps to inbound multilevel traffic due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with BNSF Railway taking the unusual step of placing embargoes on all 23 of its auto distribution centers. “As a result of the quickly developing conditions related to COVID-19, some car dealers and distribution […]
CALGARY, Alberta – Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel sought to reassure investors that the railway is well positioned to weather the economic downturn related to the coronavirus epidemic despite an anticipated decline in traffic and revenue. “This company is weathering the storm, and weathering the storm quite well,” Creel said during an investor call on […]
Tuesday morning updates on rail service changes because of the COVID-19 outbreak: •Amtrak’s San Joaquins will suspend three round trips as of Thursday, March 26, close some stations, and suspend cafe car service. Four round trips will continue to operate. The trains eliminated — Nos. 701, 702, 703, 704, 714, and 717 — are those […]
•Ten major transit agencies are requesting $25 billion in federal aid to offset financial losses because of the coronavirus pandemic, as they begin to dip into emergency cash reserves to continue operation. The Washington Post reports that the agencies, led by New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, sent a letter to congressional leaders with the request, […]
Washington-bound Acela Express No. 2159 flies through the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Mansfield, Mass., station at over 100 mph in June 2017. Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson told employees that one day last week, Acela ridership was down 99% from the same day a year earlier. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — At a weekly “town hall” telephone […]
A TEXRail train passes the station at Grapevine, Texas. TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express service is being reduced as of today. Lance Lassen A roundup of Monday morning rail news: — Amtrak has suspended all Acela Express service on the Northeast Corridor, reflecting a dramatic drop in usage for America’s only high speed rail service. […]
Labor unions representing rail and transit workers have asked the Federal Railroad Administration for two emergency orders to address the dangers in their work environments amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The orders, requested March 20, are requested for Class I railroads and for Amtrak and passenger operators. “Currently, the railroads have made very little effort […]
Western Maryland Scenic is within $10,000 of rewheeling the last Baldwin locomotive built for domestic use. Tishia Boggs CUMBERLAND, Md. – With donations to steam America’s last Baldwin from Trains readers topping $71,000, Western Maryland Scenic Railroad said Sunday it is within $10,000 of wheeling 2-6-6-2 No. 1309. “On behalf of the Western Maryland Scenic […]
More Saturday morning rail news: — The American Public Transportation Association has increased its request for emergency funding for public transit agencies to $16 billion from $12.875 billion, reflecting an estimated $14 billion in funding losses and $2 billion in direct costs including upgraded cleaning. “Without these funds,” APTA CEO Paul P. Skoutelas said in […]
Dr. Josef Theurer Plasser & Theurer — Plasser & Theurer founder Dr. Josef Theurer has died, the track maintenance equipment firm has announced. Theurer, 91, died March 19. A holder of more than 1,000 patents, Theurer and Franz Plasser founded the company, which developed machinery to replace much of the manual labor in track maintenance, […]
