SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Senate has passed legislation requiring state transportation agencies to issue annual reports detailing any recommendations by the National Transportation Safety Board and providing status reports on implementation of those recommendations. The bill, which passed by a 59-0 vote on Friday, was introduced by state Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) in response […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak has cancelled a series of state-supported trains in the Midwest on Friday and today (Saturday, April 13) because of issues involving parts for its Siemens Venture equipment. Responding to an inquiry from Trains News Wire, Amtrak’s Beth Toll wrote in an email, “A supply chain backlog from key vendors has delayed replacement […]
Classic Trains Film Archive | Illinois Terminal Railroad, J. David Ingles Reel 464 – Explore the Illinois Terminal system with this cab ride video! Ride a Peoria-bound freight with three new 2300-series SD39 diesel locomotives and see the IT from the railroaders’ view. The Illinois Terminal begun in 1895 as a steam-powered switching road at […]
WILLIAMS, Ariz. — In its second round trip of the 2024 season, Grand Canyon Railway No. 4960 performed well on Saturday, April 6, with its first of three April excursions. Along the rugged line between Williams and the South Rim, the 2-8-2 and F40 diesel-helper No. 4128 lugged the 16-car train with 900 passengers aboard, […]
For 146 years, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Train criss-crossed the nation as America’s longest passenger train. With a mile-long train of passenger cars and container flats and housing about 300 performers and crew, the circus train was a regular sight on American railroads. The Ringling Bros. shut down operations in 2017 […]
CHICAGO — Metra has seen a 70% increase in bicycles brought onto its trains since it made its more bike-friendly policy permanent on Feb. 1, Streetsblog Chicago reports. Metra had relaxed its policy, which previously restricted bikes to non-peak trains, during the COViD-19 pandemic, when it also began introducing its fleet of bicycle cars [see […]
CHICAGO — Quentin Schulte has been named president of Northern Lines Railway, Anacostia Rail Holdings has announced. Schulte has previously been the general manager of the 25-mile railroad that operates BNSF Railway trackage in the St. Cloud, Minn., area, handling more than 10,000 carloads annually. He joined the short line after 15 years with BNSF […]
DECATUR, Ill. — Decatur was not within the narrow 13-state path of totality for the solar eclipse today (April 8, 2024) but — as shown above, in an image taken just before totality — the community did not miss by much, experiencing a 97.6% partial eclipse. The effect of the eclipse is visible as a […]
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — After 63 years operating at the Milwaukee County Zoo, steam locomotive No. 1916 Harry J. Grant went back home to the Riverside & Great Northern Railway in Wisconsin Dells. The Sandley Light Railway Equipment Works built the 15-inch gauge 4-4-2 at what is now the R&GN shops in 1960-61. Today, a crew […]
CARBONDALE, Ill. — For a few hours Thursday, travelers along Illinois’ Chicago-Carbondale Amtrak corridor could book a daytime round trip to next Monday’s solar eclipse “path of totality,” thereby avoiding monumental traffic jams along parallel highways that occurred during a similar event in August 2017. But that window of opportunity closed when seats that briefly […]
INDIANAPOLIS — Michael D. Engel and Larry F. Kaelin, who played key roles in the success of the Indiana Rail Road during their tenure as executives, have retired, the railroad has announced. Both men retired as of March 31. Engel held the position of senior vice president and chief financial officer; Kaelin was vice president, […]
CHICAGO — With spring having arrived, at least according to the calendar, commuter operator Metra on Wednesday outlined plans for capital projects planned for the 2024 construction season. The Metra budget calls for $332.4 million in projects this fiscal year, including $140.7 million for bridge projects; $81.6 million for station and parking improvements; $66.2 million […]
