CHICAGO — Amtrak says ridership on the St. Paul-Chicago route is up 227% since the introduction of the Borealis, which made its debut one year ago today, on May 21, 2024. Preliminary figures through the first 11 months of service show more than 205,800 riders on the Borealis, funded by the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, […]
WITTMANN, Ariz. — Residents of the unincorporated community of Wittmann are considering cityhood, in part as a response to BNSF’s plans for a $3.2 billion logistics center in the area. The Arizona Republic reports an incorporation drive is under way as a method of giving the area, about 35 miles northwest of Phoenix, more control […]
DOVER, Del. — Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer is calling for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to continue service on a commuter rail line that reaches into the state, pledging to help find a method to keep the trains running. The Delaware News Journal reports that Meyer, a Democrat who took office this year, wrote the […]
BOSTON — New equipment for the commuter rail fleet is among the major projects planned under the 2026-30 Capital Improvement Plan approved on Tuesday, May 20, by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority board. The plan, which calls for $9.8 billion in capital expenditures over the next five fiscal years, includes more than 660 projects, the […]
CASS, W.Va — Cass Scenic Railroad and operator Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad has announced the return of Parade of Steam for 2025. The increasingly popular event, which began in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, is scheduled for June 14 at the Cass Depot. According to the railroad website, up to six […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern resumed service last month between Asheville, N.C., and points west for the first time since Hurricane Helene devastated the AS Line in September. The railroad’s rebuilding efforts now will turn to restoring its line between Old Fort and Grovestone, N.C., which includes the historic Old Fort Loops, NS said today. NS […]
ELBE, Wash. — The last few weeks have been devastating for the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad. And yet, the heritage line about 45 miles south of Tacoma, Wash., is not only continuing to operate, but finding reasons to be positive. On the evening of April 30, the railroad’s largest wooden bridge — a 400-foot-long, 70-high […]
GENEVA, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes Railway will host a series of family-friendly excursions and adults-only wine-tasting trains this summer. The Finger Lakes Rail Experience is a new collaboration between the short line, FMW Solutions, United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey, Operation Toy Train, Seneca Lakes Wine Train, more than a dozen local wineries […]
ORLANDO — Amtrak’s decision last fall to create the Chicago-Miami Floridian out of the Capitol Limited and Silver Star — ostensibly to reduce equipment moves during East River tunnel reconstruction in New York — is facing additional timekeeping obstacles over its 2,076-mile, 44-intermediate-stop route this summer. A cell phone text message dinged Sunday (May 18) […]
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit resumed rail service this morning after a four-day shutdown because of a strike by engineers, with the first scheduled move a 3:47 a.m. Northeast Corridor line departure from Trenton to New York. Inbound service on all lines was slated to begin by 5:10 am.; the last route to see a […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has settled with the estate of a 39-year-old man killed in 2022 when he was dragged by a Red Line train after his arm became stuck in a railcar’s closing doors. The Boston Globe reports that the MBTA settled a negligence lawsuit over the death of Robinson Lalin […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Pinsly Railroad Co. has named Arthur Chandler as its new vice president of engineering. Chandler has spent half of his 20-year rail industry career with CSX and half with Genesee & Wyoming. He will oversee Pinsly’s annual capital spending program and lead key intiatives by the company’s engineering team. “I am thrilled […]
