Metrolink adds service for X Games in Ventura

Metrolink_BurbankAirport_Lassen

VENTURA, Calif. — Southern California commuter rail operator will once again add service for the X Games extreme sports competition in Ventura, to be held this year June 28-30. Metrolink will offer two round trips between Los Angeles and the Ventura Downtown/Beach station on Saturday, June 29, and Sunday, June 30. Schedules and other details […]

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Caltrain sets Sept. 21 date to launch electrified service

Red and white electric multiple-unit trainset under dramatic sunset

SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Caltrain announced plans to launch electrified service on its San Francisco-San Jose service on Sept. 21 after a final weekend of testing that included running eight trains of electric equipment simultaneously, the agency said on Monday. Electrified operation will see service between San Francisco and San Jose in less than an […]

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House subcommittee schedules hearing on California locomotive rule

Trains Washington Watch logo

WASHINGTON — A subcommittee of the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology has scheduled a hearing this Thursday on California regulations that would require zero-emissions locomotives in the state beginning in 2030. The focus of the hearing by the Investigations & Oversight Subcommittee is clear from its title: “Environmentalism Off the Rails: […]

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Logan ‘Stan’ Garner, rail enthusiast, co-founder of Short Line Enterprises, dies

Man in period costume including badge

PAYSON, Ariz. — Logan “Stan” Garner, rail enthusiast, actor, and supplier of railroad equipment to the entertainment industry, died May 20 in Arizona at the age of 83. Born in Pasadena, Calif., Garner gained initial fame for being a co-founder in 1967 of Short Line Enterprises, where discarded railroad equipment, mostly from Hollywood movie studios, […]

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Metrolink board approves five-year contract extension for CEO Kettle

Man in front of commuter railcar

LOS ANGELES — Metrolink and CEO Darren Kettle have agreed to a five-year contract extension, the commuter rail operator announced on Thursday. The Metrolink board of directors unanimously agreed to the extension, which runs through September 2029, on May 24. Kettle, formerly executive director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission — one of the five […]

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Planning agency narrows potential routes for Del Mar rail tunnel

Map of potential rail tunnels in Del Mar, Calif.

DEL MAR, Calif. — The San Diego Association of Governments, which last year expanded the number of potential routes for a tunnel to replace the rail line along the Del Mar bluffs, has again narrowed the possibilities, this time to three choices, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. At one time, the planning agency had cut […]

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Metrolink introduces ‘smart crossing’ technology at Orange County grade crossing

Aerial view of commuter train at grade crossing

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. — Southern California commuter rail operator Metrolink has debuted new “smart crossing” technology at a San Juan Capistrano grade crossing, seeking to eliminate the activation of crossing gates when a train approaches a station and stops before reaching the crossing. The technology, known as a Wireless Crossing Nearside Station Stop, was made […]

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Caltrain plans final weekend shutdown before launch of electrified service

two red and white trainsets on tracks

SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Caltrain will suspend service between San Francisco and San Jose this coming weekend, June 8-9, for testing of its new electric fleet. It will be the last in a series of weekend service disruptions prior to the planned September launch of electrified service on the San Francisco-San Jose corridor. Limited-capacity replacement […]

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Amtrak San Joaquins add stop at Allensworth State Historic Park for Juneteenth event

Sign for California's Colonel Allensworth State Park.

STOCKTON, Calif. — Amtrak’s San Joaquins will once again add a special stop at Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park for the annual Junteenth event, set this year for June 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In connection with the event, trains will offer half price “Allensworth fares” for those attending the Juneteenth celebration at […]

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Classic Trains Film Archive | Pacific Northwest and California, J. David Ingles Reel 103

Classic Trains Film Archive | Pacific Northwest and California, J. David Ingles Reel 103 – Through the lens of J. David Ingles, you’ll see the Canadian Pacific, Great Northern, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific; and other roads as he ventured into the Pacific Northwest and California too. Dave rides along Puget Sound with his sights set […]

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Pacific Surfliner adds service for X Games in Ventura

Bilevel passenger car wrapped with advertising for X Games sporting event

VENTURA, Calif. — For the second straight year, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner is adding service to Ventura while the city hosts the X Games sporting competition. The additional trains will run June 28-30; during the same period, reservations will be required on the Surfliners because of anticipated additional ridership, and the Rail 2 Rail and Metrolink […]

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California high speed project seeks $450 million in federal funds

High speed train in tunnel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California High Speed Rail Authority has applied for $450 million in federal grants to continue construction of the project in the state’s Central Valley. Some $446 million of that would come from the Federal Railroad Administration Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program. The Authority has also released the final […]

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