SAN BRUNO, Calif. — Caltrain’s diesel-powered commuter rail trainsets will find a new life in Peru. The commuter rail operator announced that it has completed an agreement to send 19 locomotives and 90 gallery commuter cars to Lima, Peru, for some $6 million, a deal which also involved the U.S. State Department, Department of Commerce, […]
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — The first full month of electrified service on Caltrain’s San Francisco-San Jose route spurred significant ridership growth, the commuter rail operator says. All-electric operations began Sept. 21. In October, Caltrain carried more than 753,000 passengers, a 54% increase from October 2023. That included average weekday ridership of about 27,000, up 38%, […]
LOS ANGELES — AAA members now have a new benefit in Southern California: discounts on Metrolink commuter rail tickets. As of Tuesday, Nov. 12, current members of the AAA Auto Club of Southern California will be eligible for a 20% discount on round-trip Metrolink tickets. Members will need to log into their AAA account to […]
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — North America’s first hydrogen-powered passenger trainset planned for regular use is getting closer to entering service in Southern California. The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority’s zero-emission multiple unit trainset, which the agency is promoting as ZEMU, will enter its second phase of testing next week. After several months of tests between […]
CAMARILLO, Calif. — The home of Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle is among those destroyed in the Mountain fire, a wildfire fueled by high winds that has whipped through Ventura County, the Los Angeles Times reports. The house was destroyed Wednesday, after Kettle and his wife had heeded an evacuation order. “When I left the house, […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board on Tuesday (Nov. 5) granted requests by Amtrak and Southern California’s North County Transportation District to dismiss long-running cases before the board. Amtrak had requested that the board dismiss its request for an order requiring CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern to allow operation of Gulf Coast service between New […]
Locomotive déjà vu On October 15 of this year, senior Southern California train fans experienced locomotive déjà vu. It was fascinating and sad at the same time. Similar to photos seen in Trains Magazines in the 1950s and 1960s, a set of modern locomotives was hauling yesterday’s power off the property in a single pull. […]
SACRAMENTO — Eleven rail projects, including a new LA Metro light rail line and extension of service in Sonoma County by SMART commuter trail, have received more than $850 million in funding from the Calfiornia State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) in awards announced last week. “From new zero-emissions buses in the Central Valley to vital rail […]
WASHINGTON — A piece of Chicago’s CREATE project and an element of California’s high speed rail construction are among the 11 recipients of Department of Transportation National Infrastructure Project Assistance, or Mega, grants announced today. Also, the same CREATE project and infrastructure improvements on the Paducah & Louisville Railway are among the 36 projects selected […]
SAN FRANCISCO — The floppy-disk era is nearing an end on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. KGO-TV reports that the Muni board has approved a $212 million contract with Hitachi Rail for a train control system that will replace the more than 30-year-old system that still runs on outdated floppy-disk technology. The Automatic Train […]
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — San Diego’s North County Transit District will abandon its original plans to build safety fencing along the Del Mar bluffs under a settlement reached last month with the California Coastal Commission, and as a result will end its long-running case before the Surface Transportation Board regarding the fence and bluff-stablization work. […]
Diesel locomotive paint track A visit to Southern Pacific’s Taylor Yard in Los Angeles always included a run by of its diesel locomotive paint track. It was the one place that the usual combined with the unusual, the largest mingled with the smallest. A model of practically everything the SP owned sooner or later wound […]
