MANCHESTER, England — In a speech today (Oct. 4) at the annual Conservative Party conference, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced cancellation of construction of the second stage of the planned high speed rail project known as HS2. That segment was to link Manchester and Birmingham. The decision — if it survives an election due […]
AVIEMORE, Scotland — At least five people were injured as landmark British steam locomotive Flying Scotsman was involved in what is described as a “slow speed” collision Friday at a heritage railway in the Scottish Highlands, the Guardian newspaper reports. The incident occurred about 7:10 p.m. Friday on the Strathspey Railway, which was preparing for […]
Dates have been set for the UK’s 2024 Midlands Garden Rail Show on March 2-3, 2024. This event attracts nearly 2,000 enthusiasts from all over the UK and offers visitors the opportunity to see layouts in larger gauges and scales including gauge 1, O gauge, large scale, and more. There will be more than 15 […]
MONTREAL — As part of its fall conference, the HeritageRail Alliance announced the 2023 awards for significant achievements in railway preservation. The annual meeting was held Sept. 20-23 in Montreal with the Canadian Railroad Historical Association and Exporail serving as hosts. Railroading Heritage of Midwest America was the recipient of the Jim Wrinn Award for […]
BERN, Switzerland — Passenger trains will begin returning to the Gotthard Base Tunnel as of this Friday, Sept. 29, SBB, the Swiss Federal Railways, announced today. One southbound train will be operated through the tunnel on Friday and one northbound train will run on Sunday, helping address peak autumn weekend demand on the route to […]
The war in Ukraine shows no sign of ending any time soon, and railways remain heavily involved in Ukraine; in Russia, where the ongoing invasion depends on it; and in neighboring European countries. Trackside espionage in Poland In March, Polish police arrested six people allegedly working for Russian Military intelligence who had placed trackside cameras […]
Bullet train TOKYO — Since December 2022, the Central Japan Railway Co. has offered personalized “chartered car packages” on its Nozomi bullet trains of the Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed line. Designed to cater private events, such as graduation and employee trips, the new service has caught the attention of onboard wrestling, a world first. According to […]
ABOARD SWISS AIR FLIGHT 6 — Well, those were three remarkable weeks. But how could they be otherwise? When it comes to railroading, Switzerland is one remarkable place. I spent those three weeks meandering around the country by rail — solo at first, then as part of a small tour organized by Swiss Tourism built […]
MERIDA, Yucatán — Described in the Yucatán Times as a new “Central Park” for Mexico’s Yucatecan capital, Mérida’s Gran Parque La Plancha [La Plancha Great Park] is a recreational development to the downtown’s former railyard of the Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán [United Railways of Yucatán]. Amongst the new green areas, pathways, an artificial lake and […]
LUCERNE, Switzerland — We went up another mountain today. Once again, our view from the top was almost completely obscured by clouds. And once again, no one minded much. This time around, the Trains/Special Interest Tours “Majestic Switzerland” tour made its way up the Brienz-Rothorn Bahn, a 7.6-kilometer, 800-mm gauge, steam-powered rack railway (that’s 4.7 […]
INTERLAKEN, Switzerland — Lots and lots and lots of trains today — eight in all — to get from Montreux to Interlaken, but that’s because we didn’t take the fast route. We took the high one, instead. On the Trains/Special Interest Tours “Majestic Switzerland” tour, the journey from last night’s hotel to tonight’s was via […]
MONTREUX, Switzerland — Climb every mountain … That sometimes seems to be the motto for the Swiss people, and for its railway builders. There are 26 cog (or rack) railways in Switzerland, according to Wikipedia; given the source, view that number as something less than definitive, but it should at least be in the ballpark. […]
