PORT COSTA, Calif. — No injuries were reported after an Amtrak Capitol Corridor train struck a downed tree and derailed this afternoon, disrupting traffic on the San Jose-Auburn, Calif., route. The derailment was reported 3:25 p.m. PDT about a half-mile east of Port Costa, according to the Crockett-Carquinez Fire Department. Fifty-five people were on board; […]
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The California Department of Transportation is inviting public comment on the agency’s plan to allow Brightline West to build electrified high-speed tracks adjacent to Interstate 15 for 49 miles across Cajon Pass to Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. This would extend its route from Las Vegas, Nev., past a planned terminus at Apple […]
WATSONVILLE, Calif. — For the second time this winter, Amtrak has been forced to halt Coast Starlight service for an extended period in the wake of weather-related damages to Union Pacific’s Coast Line. Following a fierce winter storm that made landfall on Friday, March 10, a 74-year-old earthen levee along the Pajaro River in Monterey […]
WASHINGTON — A passenger had a dog’s leash caught in the door of a Bay Area Rapid Transit train as it departed the station, dragging her along the station platform until she collided with a gate at the end of the platform, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s determination of probable cause in the […]
WASCO, Calif. — BNSF has reopened its main line on the Bakersfield Subdivision in the San Joaquin Valley, the railroad reports in a service update to customers. The route, closed since approximately 1:30 p.m. PST on Saturday because of a washout, was reopened at 12:07 a.m. PDT today (Monday, March 13). There was no immediate […]
MODESTO, Calif. — Planned expansion of the Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail service into Stanislaus and Sacramento counties will be delayed by two years, with the first trains not running until 2026, the Modesto Bee reports. The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, which manages the service currently running between Stockton, Calif., and San Jose, attributes […]
WASCO, Calif. — BNSF’s main line on the Bakersfield Subdivision in the San Joaquin Valley has been closed by a washout, the railroad informed customers in an advisory on Saturday. The washout was reported about 1:30 p.m. PST near Wasco, about 27 miles northwest of Bakersfield. BNSF’s initial estimate to reopen the route between Bakersfield […]
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Brightline West, the planned high speed rail service between Las Vegas and Southern California, has announced agreements with buildings trades groups in California and Southern Nevada to ensure the rail project is built with union labor. The memorandum of understanding with the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California and […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has begun offering coach passengers on the Empire Builder, California Zephyr, Southwest Chief, Coast Starlight, and Sunset Limited the opportunity to buy meals in those trains’ dining cars, a practice that began March 1. Since mid-2021, these are the only long-distance trains offering breakfasts, lunches, and dinners prepared to order for sleeping-car […]
The Bay Area Garden Railway Society (BAGRS) is hosting the 2023 National Garden Railway Convention this year. The event runs from July 1-8 at the Hyatt Santa Clara, Calif. and features a variety of events for all ages. The show features an exhibit and vendor hall (The Santa Clara Convention Center, adjacent to the hotel) […]
WASHINGTON — A lack of markers warning of a close-clearance situation was the probable cause of a fatal accident involving a BNSF Railway conductor in La Mirada, Calif., on March 3, 2021, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a final accident report issued late last week. The conductor was killed during a shoving move […]
CHICAGO — Weather is taking its toll on current operations of Amtrak’s western long-distance trains. According to the Amtrak Alerts Twitter feed, the eastbound Chief scheduled to depart Los Angeles today (Wednesday, Feb. 22) has been cancelled due to severe weather conditions, while the westbound Chief that left Chicago on Tuesday, Feb. 21, will terminate […]
