Digest: Sound Transit places first of new light rail trainsets in service

White and two-tone blue light rail car in shop

Sound Transit places first of new Siemens LRVs in service Sound Transit has placed the first of its new Siemens light rail vehicles in service, part of an order that will more than triple the agency’s fleet. A total of 152 vehicles, from two orders totaling will be delivered from Siemens’ plant in Sacramento through […]

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Digest: Test trains set to run Sunday on Point Defiance Bypass

Amtrak train passing junction

Test trains set to run on Point Defiance Bypass Sound Transit and Amtrak will run test trains over the Point Defiance Bypass on Sunday, May 16, as part of continuing efforts to prepare for passenger service on the line in the Tacoma, Wash., area. Trains will run between the Tacoma Dome stadium and Nisqually Junction, […]

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Digest: Engineering work advances Lac-Mégantic bypass preparations

Map of Lac-Megantic Bypass

Transport Canada says engineering work is done for Lac-Mégantic bypass, on target for 2023 completion Transport Canada reports additional engineering work has been completed on the Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, bypass project and that the project still should be done by 2023. The engineering work will allow relocation of rail operations to the Lac-Mégantic business park, as […]

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Digest: Virginia Railway Express to resume full service on June 1

Virginia Railway Express logo

Virginia Railway Express to restore full schedule on June 1 Virginia Railway Express will restore service to pre-pandemic levels as of Tuesday, June 1, the commuter rail operator has announced. The agreement allowing VRE passengers to use some Amtrak trains remains suspended. Schedule information is available here.  VRE reduced service to its “S” schedule, with […]

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Digest: UP bridge in Oregon damaged by fire

Burning bridge

Union Pacific bridge sustains moderate damage, but remains in service after fire A Union Pacific Railroad bridge in Springfield, Ore., suffered moderate damage in a fire early Monday morning, although the railroad is able to continue operations over the bridge at reduced speed. The Eugene Register-Guard reports firefighters from the Eugene Springfield Fire Department responded […]

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Digest: Amtrak 50th anniversary ticket sale ends Wednesday

Amtrak logo.

Amtrak sale, offering 50% off or $50 for anniversary, ends Wednesday As part of events marking its 50th anniversary, Amtrak is offering a non-refundable “50% off or maximum $50 fare” sale that ends Wednesday, May 5. The offer is good on any train in coach or Acela Business Class for travel between June 2 and […]

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Northern Pacific Railway: A History

Steam locomotive leading freight train over long trestle

History of the Northern Pacific Railway In 1864 Abraham Lincoln signed the charter of a railroad to be built from the Great Lakes to Puget Sound — the Northern Pacific Railroad. The Philadelphia banking house of Jay Cooke & Co. undertook to sell the bonds, which were to yield 7.3 percent interest, and sold $30 […]

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Digest: Illinois legislator seeks funds for Metra yard relocation project

Commuter train passes station

U.S. House member seeks funds for next step in Metra yard relocation project U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) is seeking $4 million to support relocation of a Metra yard on the UP Northwest line from Crystal Lake, Ill., to rural Woodstock, which could accommodate a full-service facility not possible at the current facility, limited by […]

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Digest: Maryland turns down request to single-track part of light rail project

Logo of Maryland light rail Purple Line

Maryland DOT turns down request for single-tracking at Purple Line station, citing ‘significant risk’ to project The Maryland Department of Transportation has turned down a request to reduce the Purple Line light rail project to a single track at its Bethesda station. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich had made the request, seeking to create room […]

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‘Amtrak Cascades’ to add two round trips on May 24

Talgo trainset in Amtrak Cascades paint scheme

SEATTLE – After months of periodic sellouts at the 50% capacity limit on a single Seattle-Eugene, Ore., round trip — the only daily Cascades corridor service for more than a year — the Washington and Oregon Departments of Transportation plan to add two additional round trips on May 24. But because Talgo, Amtrak, and the […]

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Digest: Seattle monorail shut down for renovation

Seattle Monorail logo

Seattle monorail shut down through April 30 Seattle’s monorail has shut down for the remainder of April as part of a renovation to prepare for the arrival of the city’s new National Hockey League team, the Kraken, which will debut this fall. KNKX Radio reports the work on the 1-mile line, connecting downtown’s Westlake Center […]

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Forgotten ‘Four Aces’

Steam locomotive smoking with passenger train on curve

Forgotten ‘Four Aces’ Northern Pacific 4-8-4 No. 2626, originally the Timken “Four Aces” roller-bearing demonstrator, leads a Seattle-Cle Elum, Wash., fan trip through Kanaskat, Wash., in August 1957. Despite efforts to preserve the locomotive, it was scrapped a year later. Photo by Albert Farrow […]

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