An article about the Pennsylvania Railroad’s new Keystone train in October 1956 Trains magazine (reprinted in 2015 in Classic Trains’ special edition More Trains of the 1950s) was titled “The Ankle-View Train” because of the unusual perspective the low-profile coaches afforded their riders when stopped at high-level platforms. This scene at Newark, N.J., explains all. Pennsylvania Railroad photo […]
BOSTON — The Trump administration has rescinded a $327 million grant awarded in 2023 or the Allston Multimodal Project, which calls for realignment of Interstate 90 and a new Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail station and layover facility, among other features. The funding termination follows President Donald Trump’s signing of a bill that eliminated […]
JIM THORPE, Pa. — The impact of Reading & Northern’s passenger operations, which recently celebrated their 40th anniversary, may best be illustrated by this: A bank in Jim Thorpe — the home of R&N’s Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railroad tourist operation and primary destination for its weekend excursions — is closing a branch to address tourist-traffic […]
NEW YORK — Platform edge barriers have now been installed at 56 New York City subway stations as part of an ongoing Metropolitan Transportation Authority safety initiative, with the goal of installing the barriers at more than 100 of the subway system’s 472 stations this year. The barriers, which help to keep passengers from entering […]
NEWARK, N.J. — The NJ Transit board of directors has approved the agency’s contract with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, after learning some of the key provisions of the deal. The board’s unanimous vote on Thursday, July 17, ends a years-long dispute between NJ Transit and its engineers that included a brief strike […]
DANBURY, Conn. — The Connecticut Department of Transportation has announced a 17-day shutdown of Metro-North’s Danbury Branch, set to begin Aug. 1. Bus service will replace trains from Friday, Aug. 1, to Sunday, Aug. 17. CTDOT said the shutdown, for state-of-good-repair work, saves costs and is more efficient compared to daily mobilization and demobilization of work […]
WASHINGTON — The death of a CSX conductor trainee in a June 2023 incident in Baltimore is an indication of broader safety and training gaps in the rail industry, the National Transportation Safety Board said in releasing its final investigation report today (July 17, 2025). In the June 26, 2023, incident, an individual in phase […]
NEW YORK — New York police are seeking a woman who allegedly broke into a parked New York City Transit subway train today (Thursday, July 17) and took it for a one-stop joy ride — at least the fourth such incident since January 2024. The news site Gothamist reports the incident occurred about 4:30 a.m. […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy faced bipartisan grilling Wednesday questioning the slow pace of his department’s release of funding for already-approved infrastructure grants, as well as the reduction of Department of Transportation personnel to approve them. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, “Oversight of the Department of Transportation’s Policies and Programs and […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak is cautioning passengers that Northeast Corridor operations may experience delays this morning (July 15, 2025) because of heavy rain overnight, while area transit agencies are also recovering from the storm. An Amtrak customer advisory says overnight weather impacts have led to some trainsets arriving later than usual, which may lead to delays […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is in position to set records for ridership and on-time performance in 2025, based on figures announced Monday (July 14) for the first six months. New York City Transit subways and Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road have all recorded post-pandemic ridership highs, according to a press release […]
Montpelier & Wells River 2-8-0 No. 20, a former Boston & Maine engine, leads train 1 with a milk car behind the tender. A combine brings up the rear of the mixed train. The M&WR, which linked its namesake Vermont communities with a 44-mile route, operated six locomotives and one passenger car in 1944. William […]
