TSB of Canada renews call for PTC-type system after near-collision between VIA train, CN freight

Track diagram of area near Cornwall, Ontario, on Canadian National

GATINEAU, Quebec — A VIA Rail Canada train came within about 1,100 feet of a head-on collision with a Canadian National freight train in an April 2023 incident, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in an investigation report released today (Wednesday, Oct. 16). In the report, the agency renewed its call for Canada to […]

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MBTA Green Line train ran red signal, was speeding prior to derailment, NTSB says

Diagram showing scene of light-rail derailment in Cambridge, Mass.

WASHINGTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line train that derailed earlier this month ran through a red signal and was traveling at 36 mph in a 10-mph zone immediately before derailing, according to the preliminary investigation report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The derailment occurred when the train reached a switch that […]

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Carload Considerations: Freight railroads should take a lesson from NJ Transit

CSX train surrounded by fall foliage

NJ Transit recently hired a Customer Advocate — the actual title of the job. This individual is supposed to be solely responsible for representing customer interests, developing goals and objectives around those interests, cultivating relationships between the public — its customers — and the agency, and developing engagement plans that rely on customer feedback. It’s […]

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STB extends mediation for Union Pacific, Metra

Commuter trains meet on curve

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board on Tuesday, Oct. 15, granted Union Pacific a 30-day extension to the mediation period in its effort to reach an agreement with Chicago’s Metra regarding some financial aspects of an agreement to continue commuter rail service on three Metra routes on UP lines. The mediation period was to have […]

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Commuter rail systems along the Northeast Corridor

Electric train arriving at a station

In addition to Amtrak’s long-distance, regional, and high-speed Acela trains, the Northeast Corridor (NEC) hosts multiple commuter entities across different sections. From Boston to Washington D.C., find out where each of these services travel along this highly active main line. These are the commuter rail systems along the Northeast Corridor. It’s important to note that […]

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Switzerland’s MOB orders new locomotives for GoldenPass Express

Rendering of new dual-cab electric locomotives

MONTREUX, Switzerland — The Montreux Overland Bernois Railway (MOB) has ordered six new locomotives from Stadler for the meter-gauge rail line, four of which will be used on the gauge-changing GoldenPass Express passenger train. The other two locomotives are intended for rail services and infrastructure maintenance. The dual-cab, B-B locomotives will be hybrid electrics, able […]

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NTSB to investigate fatal NJ Transit accident (additional update)

Aerial view of damaged light rail trainset

MANSFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident that killed the operator of an NJ Transit light rail train. The agency made the announcement in a late Monday post to X.com. The operator was killed and more than 20 passengers were injured when a train on NJ Transit’s River Line […]

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New York MTA sets first Open House meeting on five-year capital plan

TRN_Grand_Central_Lassen

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will hold the first of a series of Open House meetings on its 2025-29 Capital Plan next Monday, Oct. 21, at Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall. The open house, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., will feature posters, pamphlets, and videos explaining elements of the plan. MTA representatives […]

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The Agawa Yard layout in HO scale

A model train passes a model diner structure on a model railroad layout

My HO scale Agawa Yard layout is set in a fictional suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia, in the spring of 1969. It’s part of a single-track main line that zig-zags through the suburbs and provides rail access to the area’s dwindling towns and industries. My layout is based on 1960s photos of the Canadian Pacific, […]

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Operator killed after NJ Transit light rail train strikes tree

Aerial view of damaged light rail trainset

MANSFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The operator of a train on NJ Transit’s River Line has died after the train stuck a downed tree early this morning, KYW-TV reports. The incident occurred shortly after 6 a.m. when a southbound train from Trenton hit the tree just north of the Roebling station. Forty-five people were reported to […]

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CN imposes axle-count restriction on VIA’s Venture trainsets (corrected)

Passenger train on multi-track main line adjacent to highway

MONTREAL — Apparently triggered by one or more incidents in which a VIA Rail Canada Venture trainset failed to activate highway crossing warning devices, Canadian National is now requiring that all of VIA’s Venture-equipped trainsets operate with 32 axles. The edict came late Friday, at the beginning of Canada’s Thanksgiving Day holiday weekend. It also […]

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San Diego agency asks STB to dismiss case over long-running fight on Del Mar bluffs

People jumping off rail linee as train approaches

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — San Diego’s North County Transit District will abandon its original plans to build safety fencing along the Del Mar bluffs under a settlement reached last month with the California Coastal Commission, and as a result will end its long-running case before the Surface Transportation Board regarding the fence and bluff-stablization work. […]

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