Grand Trunk Western passenger trains remembered

a streamliner pulling passenger cars with chicago in the background

All through January 2025, the Grand Trunk Western is Classic Trains‘ Railroad of the Month! In this photo gallery, please enjoy images of Grand Trunk Western passenger trains selected from the archives of the David P. Morgan Library at Firecrown Media! This photo gallery had previously been published in May 2020. Only from Trains.com! […]

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Washington state receives funding for Sound Transit station, rail improvements at Port of Benton

Light rail train arrives at station

WASHINGTON — A new Sound Transit light rail station and rail improvements at the Port of Benton in Richland, Wash., will receive more than $34 million in U.S. Department of Transportation grants, four members of the Washington State Democratic congressional delegation have announced. They were among four projects receiving more than $56 million under the […]

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FTA finalizes grant for Chicago’s Red Line Extension

Map illustrating new transit route.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has signed a grant agreement for $1.97 billion in funding for the 5.5-mile extension of the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line, the first line of the L system to reach the Far South Side. The extension is the largest single transit project in CTA history. The grant fulfills a […]

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Fire truck in collision with Brightline train was responding to structure fire

Image of fire truck on grade crossing from locomotive

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — The fire truck struck by a Brightline train at a grade crossing last month, leading to injuries to 15 people, was responding to a report of a high-rise structure fire, City of Delray Beach officials said on Thursday. The city’s police chief also confirmed that his agency has asked the Palm […]

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Utah cities consider around-the-clock flaggers to silence train horns

Logo for Federal Railroad Administration

SALT LAKE CITY — Two Utah cities are considering employing 24-hour-a-day flaggers at grade crossings to restore a quiet zone on a stretch of Union Pacific track also used by Utah Transit Authority commuter trains. Two quiet zones, stretching from Ogden to Provo and in place for up to 16 years, were suspended last Sept. […]

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Six rail routes receive federal grants for service improvements

Passenger train crossing bridge with ocean in background

WASHINGTON — Four state-supported Amtrak routes, Connecticut’s CTRail, and Florida’s Brightline will receive a total of more than $146 million for service improvements from the Federal Railroad Administration, the agency announced today (Friday, Jan. 10). The funding comes from the Restoration and Enhancement Grant Program. It was announced at the same time as FRA funding […]

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Five Massachusetts projects with rail elements receive federal funding

Commuter train at station

BOSTON — Five rail-related projects are among those in Massachusetts to receive U.S. Department of Transportation funding under various Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant programs, Gov. Maura Healey and the state’s congressional delegation announced on Thursday, Jan. 9. In all, 11 projects were selected to receive a total of more than $102 million in funding. Three […]

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Maine DOT selects Maine Switching Services as Rockland Branch operator

Single railroad track in small town.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Switching Services, the freight operator on the state-owned Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad, has been selected by the Maine Department of Transportation to operate and maintain the state’s Rockland Branch, a 57-mile former Maine Central line. However, a pilot program to test passenger service on the route, in coordination with the […]

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Metrolink halts trains on one line because of fires

New logo for Metrolink, introduced 2022

LOS ANGELES — The firestorm devastating Southern California is, inevitably, affecting rail operations. Metrolink has suspended operations today (Thursday, Jan. 9) on its Antelope Valley Line between Lancaster and Vista Canyon because of firefighting activity, the operator reports. The suspension is until further notice. According to a Los Angeles Times map, the Lidia fire, at […]

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Ontario premier calls for Toronto-area freight bypass to allow commuter rail expansion

Diagram of proposed rail bypass in Toronto area

TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling for development of a freight rail bypass to the west of Toronto that he says would allow “significant, longer-term expansion” of GO Transit commuter rail service in the region. In a letter today (Jan. 9, 2025) to the chairman of provincial transit agency Metrolinx, posted on X.com, […]

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Florida’s SunRail moves to local funding

Commuter train at station

ORLANDO — The SunRail commuter service, funded and operated by Florida’s Department of Transportation since its opening in 2014, is locally funded as of Jan. 1. Spectrum News reports the local members of the governing Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission — Volusia, Seminole, Orange, and Osceola counties, and the city of Orlando — authorized the […]

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