Rail transit digging out after storm (updated)

Deicing train at subway station

Most commuter rail and rail transit operations have resumed in the Northeast after a blizzard that dropped more than 30 inches of snow in some portions of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Schedules may be limited on some operations. Here where operations stand as of 8:15 a.m. ET: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority: All operations — commuter […]

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Auburn Road Special excursions to benefit URHS

Diesel locomotive leading a passenger train. Auburn Road Special excursions to benefit United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey.

BOONTON, N.J. — The United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey will be hosting a weekend of rail excursions along the former New York Central Auburn Road branch on April 18-19, the organization announced in a Facebook post. The Auburn Road Special will offer two excursions covering what is now the east end of the […]

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Amtrak worker killed when struck by train

Amtrak logo.

EAST LAMPETER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — An Amtrak maintenance worker was killed today (Monday, Feb. 23) when struck by a train near Lancaster, Pa. The incident occurred about 11:30 a.m. in East Lampeter Township, just east of Lancaster. The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim as 39-year-old Jeremy Charles of Holtwood, Pa. He was […]

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Massive storm halts most Northeast rail traffic (updated)

Men shoveling snow at commuter train station

NEW YORK — Amtrak is reporting large-scale cancellations and most rail transit operations in the Northeast are shut down or operating on a limited basis today (Monday, Feb. 23) following a blizzard that passed through the area overnight. The National Weather Service is reporting snowfall totals for the last 24 hours of 20 inches or […]

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Northeast rail operations prepare for blizzard (updated)

Amtrak logo.

NEW YORK — Amtrak is making “service adjustments” today (Sunday, Feb. 22) and Monday, Feb. 23, because of dangerous weather conditions, the passenger railroad said on Saturday. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NJ Transit, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and CTRail’s Hartford Line and Shore Line East have also announced service changes. More than 50 […]

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Work on Portal Bridge cutover ‘on schedule,’ officials say

KEARNY, N.J. — Work is about 25% complete on the cutover of the first track of the new Portal North Bridge, Amtrak and NJ Transit officials said at a Thursday news conference at the construction site. “We’re on track and on schedule,” Jason Hoover, Amtrak assistant vice president, major programs-bridges, said, according to a NorthJersey.com […]

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Reading & Northern announces 2026 excursions to Jim Thorpe, Pa.

Passenger train with green and yellow diesel rounding curve

PORT CLINTON, Pa. — The Reading & Northern has announced its 2026 schedule of mainline excursions to Jim Thorpe, Pa., featuring operations from Pittston and Reading, Pa. Trains will run Saturdays and Sundays through Sept. 20, as well as St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. The railroad will also offer its […]

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Hudson Tunnel work to resume as federal government completes payment of withheld funds

NEW YORK — The Gateway Development Commission has received the full $205 million in Hudson Tunnel funding that had been withheld by the federal government, the commission said today (Feb. 18). As a result, tunnel construction, which halted on Feb. 6, should resume next week. “We are working with our contractors to deploy these funds […]

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BLET official blasts MTA CEO’s statement that competitive concerns blocked Metro-North service to Albany

Blue and red converted locomotive on end of passenger train.

HAMDEN, Conn. — The union official who represents Amtrak engineers has taken exception to a claim by Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber that Amtrak “feared the competition” when it withdrew support for proposed Metro-North service between New York City and Albany, N.Y. “The issue is not about competition,” wrote Patrick W. Darcy Jr., general […]

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Connecticut commuter operation could revert from electric to diesel

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut’s Shore Line East commuter rail operation could revert to diesel-powered trains under a budget-saving move, the state’s transportation commissioner told a budget hearing last week. The move would reverse a 2022 switch from diesel-powered trains to the current Kawasaki M8 electric multiple-unit trainsets [see “Connecticut replaces diesel Shore Line East trains […]

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News photo: Norfolk Southern introduces third Landmark Series locomotive

Tuscan red and black locomotive on turntable

ALTOONA, Pa. — Norfolk Southern has introduced the third locomotive in its Landmark Series, ES44AC No. 8184, the Altoona. Unveiled last week in Altoona, Pa., it joins earlier locomotives Birmingham and Atlanta in wearing the special Tuscan Red and black paint scheme [see “Norfolk Southern announces locomotive ‘Landmark Series,’” Trains.com, Nov. 13, 2025]. The locomotives […]

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