Prior to the time of the streamliners, North American passenger trains were not particularly colorful. Most sleeping cars were Pullman green, although there were exceptions; both the Pennsylvania and Canadian Pacific utilized shades of red on their passenger equipment, for example. With the arrival of streamlined lightweight equipment as of the late 1930s, a rainbow […]
NEW YORK — New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority and NJ Transit are advising passengers to be prepared for service changes as a winter storm moves into the area on Sunday, Jan. 19. In a press release on statewide storm preparations, the MTA says it is closely monitoring the weather but currently has no changes to […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak has expanded its list of train cancellations in and out of Chicago because of a forecast of “extremely cold temperatures” to include an extensive number of state-supported services to Illinois and adjacent states. The company had previously announced cancellations of the Empire Builder in both directions between Chicago and Spokane, Wash., for […]
LOS ANGELES — Commuter rail agency Metrolink has begun offering free-ride vouchers for those impacted by Southern California’s wildfires. The Metrolink effort joins one by Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, which is offering $10 fares between any two locations on the San Luis Obispo-San Diego LOSSAN corridor. Metrolink is working with local aid groups and elected officials […]
NEW YORK — Former Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Thomas Prendergast has been named as CEO and president of the Gateway Development Commission, the bi-state agency overseeing construction of the new rail tunnel between New Jersey and Manhattan, as well as other Northeast Corridor projects. Prendergast succeeds Kris Kolluri, the original commission CEO who is now […]
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority on Thursday announced it has selected a construction consortium for the second part of the Long Bridge Project, the new two-track bridge across the Potomac River between Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va. Long Bridge Rail Partners — a joint venture of Trumbull Corp., Fay, S&B USA Construction, […]
TORONTO — Ontario transit agency Metrolinx has signed an agreement with Alstom to overhaul 181 bilevel railcars for Toronto-area commuter rail operator GO Transit. The agreement, valued at approximately Ca$500 million ($347 million U.S.), calls for overhauls and modernization of the Series VIII cars to be conducted at Alstom’s Thunder Bay, Ont., plant beginning by […]
Santa Fe’s Golden Gate, a secondary Bay Area train, pulls into Merced, Calif., in May 1958 as a tour group prepares to board. Jim Neubauer photo […]
The Lionel 2025 Volume 1 catalog was recently published on the manufacturer’s website. Highlights include Lionel Lines Vision Hudson prewar sets, Vision Commodore Vanderbilt locomotives, a 20th Century Limited set, a 125th anniversary Lighted Station Platform, an expanded “battery O” line, exclusive anniversary products, and much more. View the catalog at lionel.com. […]
MIAMI — How much money Amtrak was willing to pay and the Florida Department of Transportation was willing to accept for use of the Miami Intermodal Center headhouse was apparently the main sticking point in a years-long impasse that ended when the passenger carrier notified FDOT in November that it would not move its South […]
WASHINGTON — Carload traffic was down considerably but intermodal volume remained strong in the latest report on U.S. weekly rail traffic. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, traffic for the week ending Jan. 11, 2025, included 465,390 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.8% from the same week in 2024. That included 199,511 […]
WORCESTER, Mass. — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has proposed a 10-year, $8 billion transportation plan including an immediate move to stabilize the finances of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority — using funds from the state’s Fair Share tax on annual incomes over $1 million while requiring no new taxes. Legislation to enact the plan, part […]
