Digest: Weekend rail service to San Diego suspended for maintenance

Passenger train next to ocean

Friday morning rail news: Weekend rail service to San Diego suspended for maintenance work Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service between Oceanside, Calif., and San Deiego, and Metrolink commuter train service to Oceanside, will be suspended this weekend for the first of two weekends of maintenance work on the North County Transit District’s rail line in San […]

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Digest: Amtrak Capitol Corridor adds occupancy tool to website

More Friday morning rail news: Capitol Corridor website now offering occupancy information on trains, connecting buses Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor has added an occupancy information tool on its website to provide passengers awareness of how full a given train may be. The tool, available here, uses recent ridership numbers to indicate vacancy rates on individual trains. […]

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Digest: Valley Metro orders Siemens light rail vehicles

Thursday midday rail news: Valley Metro orders 14 new Siemens light rail vehicles Phoenix-area transit agency Valley Metro has ordered 14 S700 light rail vehicles from Siemens Mobility to join 11 of the trainsets already in service. The equipment, to be built in Sacramento, Calif., will help accommodate the needs of an expanding system, and […]

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Remembering the Pacific Electric Railway

A pair of couples streetcars or interurban cars exit a tunnel.

By G. Mac Sebree History of the Pacific Electric Railway By any standard, the Pacific Electric was the largest interurban electric railway in the United States. It boasted more than 1,000 miles of track and had 1,000-plus cars. It played a major role in building up the vast open areas surrounding Los Angeles. The cities […]

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Digest: San Diego transit agency seeks STB ruling on coastal maintenance work

People walking on railroad tracks as train approaches

Tuesday morning rail news: San Diego-area agency seeks STB order protecting maintenance work on eroding coastal bluffs The North County Transit District, which operates the San Diego-area Coaster commuter trains, has petitioned the Surface Transportation Board for an order to keep the city of Del Mar and the California Coastal Commission from regulating maintenance and […]

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Tunneling through tough times

The author designed her rear-of-the-railway tunnel for viewing from a glider on the front door stoop

Like a grade-school report, “What I did on my spring 2020 vacation,” this story is about optimism in the face of confusion and lack of resources. We had just started a new little garden railway loop in front of our house, but hidden from the street. Having built a gallery along the walkway, we next […]

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BNSF, UP struggle to meet surging intermodal demand in Southern California

BNSF Railway and Union Pacific are facing varying degrees of congestion from a spike in domestic intermodal volume in Southern California. The railroads reported significant week-over-week overall intermodal volume increases as of July 18, with UP’s volume up 10% and BNSF’s up 8%, according to their weekly Association of American Railroads carload reports. The surge […]

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Digest: Shortline company seeks to end California operating contract

Friday morning rail industry news: Progressive Rail seeks to end 10-year deal to operate line in Santa Cruz, Calif. Minnesota-based shortline company Progressive Rail wants out of its 10-year contract to operate a 32-mile line serving Santa Cruz, Calif., after just two years, according to the government agency that owns the line. The Aptos Times […]

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California legislature may try to stop high speed rail contract

More Monday morning rail news: California legislature wants high speed rail agency to hold off on contract A majority of members of the California Assembly have co-sponsored a resolution asking the California High-Speed Rail Authority to defer a contract due to be awarded this year for construction of the high speed line between Merced and […]

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