AUGUSTA, Maine — Railroads in Maine face new requirements for reporting the transport of hazardous materials in the state after Gov. Janet Mills signed an emergency bill into law on Friday, the Portland Press Herald reports. LD1937 was introduced last year following a Rockwood, Maine, derailment and fire that saw three crew members injured [see […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak has restored service between Philadelphia and New York’s Penn Station following the issues that disrupted operations Monday night, the company announced in a service advisory at 7:15 a.m. ET today (Tuesday, April 16). NJ Transit is offering limited service on the Northeast Corridor. Along with what the company is calling “residual […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak passengers are facing long delays and cancellations on part of the Northeast Corridor this evening (Monday, April 15), and NJ Transit operations on the NEC are suspended, because of catenary issues near New Brunswick, N.J. Amtrak first reported the problem at 6:33 p.m. ET on its Amtrak NEC Alerts feed on […]
PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has “terminated with cause” its contract with the U.S. affiliate of Chinese railcar manufacturer CRRC for 45 bilevel commuter railcars, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The contract was awarded in 2017, and the first cars were to have been completed in 2019 [see “SEPTA awards bid for Chinese bilevel […]
WASHINGTON — A subcommittee of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee s has announced plans for a hearing next week on challenges facing the commuter rail industry. The Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee has scheduled the hearing for Wednesday, April 17, at 10 a.m. ET, chairman Troy Nehls (R-Texas) announced. The hearing will be […]
Italian national rail company Trenitalia launched its latest hybrid passenger trains earlier this month on the scenic route from Taranto to Reggio Calabria on the nation’s southern coast. The trains, built by Hitachi in Italy, are claimed to be the world’s first four-mode hybrid trains — and while they are the first to enter service, […]
NEW YORK — Rob Free, who has served as acting president of the Long Island Rail Road since last October, was named to the position permanently by Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber on Thursday. Free, who began his career with the LIRR as a station cleaner 31 years ago, climbed the ranks to become […]
A Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville fan trip pauses in front of the Gloversville, N.Y., headquarters building. The fine October 1950 day made for great roster photos of S2 diesel No. 20 (Alco, 1945). Cabooses 1 and 2 and combine 21 made up the rest of the train. Edward Theisinger photo […]
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – East Broad Top Railroad 2-8-2 engine No. 16 is out of service until the end of August due to a cracked driving-wheel center, the railroad announced today (Thursday, April 11). In its place, the narrow gauge EBT will substitute its General Electric 55-ton center-cab diesel switcher M-7, the same unit that […]
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 […]
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum will partner with Maine Locomotive & Machine Works to restore a pair of 2-foot gauge engines, Monson Railroad No. 4, and Bridgton & Saco River Railroad No. 8, to operation, the museum announced Tuesday. Monson No. 4, an 0-4-4 tank engine, was built in 1918 […]
BURLINGTON, Vt. — Vermont Rail System has reached an agreement to purchase assets and operating rights of the New Hampshire Central Railroad to expand its operations in northern New Hampshire, the companies announced Tuesday. “VRS has a 60-year tradition of helping local businesses with efficient and reliable freight service,” Selden Houghton, Vermont Rail System president, […]
