Monday morning rail news: — Amtrak is suspending its non-stop Acela Express service between New York and Washington, D.C., reflecting decreasing travel because of concerns over the Covid-19 coronavirus. The service will be suspended as of Tuesday, March 10, until Tuesday, May 26. “We are making temporary adjustments to our schedule, such as removing train […]
In March 2020, Classic Trains is celebrating the history, heritage, and splendor of the Clinchfield Railroad. Enjoy this photo gallery, selected from the David P. Morgan Library collections, as the perfect salute to the Clinchfield. Return each week for another salute to the railroad of the month! See what we did last week for the […]
More Friday morning rail news: — Legislation introduced Thursday in Congress would end Amtrak’s forced arbitration policy, which bars passengers and their families from suing the passenger carrier if they injured or killed in crashes. The Washington Post reports the legislation, introduced in both houses, would do away with the policy introduced last year which […]
A Metra Milwaukee North train arrives in Deerfield, Ill., on Oct. 27, 2019. Deerfield is one of the partners with Metra in a reverse-commute pilot program on the Milwaukee North line. TRAINS: David Lassen Still more rail news for a busy Friday: — Metra’s reverse-commute pilot program on its Milwaukee District North line is exceeding […]
Friday morning rail news: — After almost four weeks, the blockade of Canadian Pacific tracks near Montreal has finally ended. This morning, Mohawks at Kahnawake, Quebec, lifted the blockade in what a spokesman called “a gesture of good faith.” The Montreal Gazette reports that one of the protesters said the blockade could resume at any […]
The indigenous group manning Canada’s last significant rail blockade has allowed Canadian Pacific to inspect its tracks near Montreal, and is expected to make an announcement about the future of the protest today. The Montreal Gazette reports CP employees cleared some debris from the track Wednesday afternoon after Mohawks in Kahnawake, Quebec, allowed the railroad […]
WASHINGTON — Witnesses told a U.S. House of Representatives hearing Wednesday that investment in America’s rail infrastructure needs to be sharply increased. Six witnesses addressed the House Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee hearing titled, “Funding a Robust Freight and Passenger Rail Network,” addressing the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization. Video of the nearly 2½-hour hearing […]
Thursday morning rail news: — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has pulled some of its new Orange Line cars from service for a third time, in this case to deal with problems with trucks on the CRRC-built cars, MassLive.com reports. The problem is with the cars’ trucks, specifically the bolster that allows the wheelset to […]
NJ Transit trains meet in Elizabeth, N.J., in August 2019. The agency is one of several increasing cleaning and disinfecting efforts because of the coronavirus. TRAINS: David Lassen Commuter railroads and transit agencies throughout North America are stepping up cleaning efforts to address passenger concerns over the Covid-19 coronavirus spreading across the continent. Among the […]
DALLAS — RailcarRx, a leading provider of software products and services for the Rail Industry, announced that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has deployed a customized data analytics/decision support platform developed by RailcarRx to provide their operations and maintenance department with actionable information to help improve their asset lifecycle management processes. Steve Adkins, director of […]
The Wednesday morning rail roundup: — In a significant blow to the fledgling commuter rail service, California voters in Sonoma and Marin counties have turned down a measure extending the quarter-cent sales tax that funds Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit. Approval of the measure would have guaranteed funding through 2059, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports; without […]
More Tuesday rail news: — Following the lead of several airlines, Amtrak says it will waive ticket-change fees for travelers wishing to change plans because of concerns over the coronavirus that has killed six people in the U.S. In a statement on its website, the passenger railroad says it will waive the fees on new […]
