SAN MATEO, Calif. – Pioneered by airlines and hotels, customer reward programs are now being tested by a handful of transit agencies looking to encourage increased ridership and influence rider behavior. Caltrain and the San Mateo County Transit District are partnering with Miles, an app-based service that bills itself as a universal miles-earnings program. Users […]
RALEIGH, N.C. — Amtrak’s Carolinian will be reduced to weekend-only service along its full New York-Charlotte, N.C. route beginning July 22, and schedules for the Palmetto and Silver Star will also be altered, because of CSX Transportation track work, according to a press release from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The schedule changes will […]
NEW ORLEANS — Amtrak is restoring service on all routes in and out of New Orleans following Hurricane Barry. Service will resume today for the eastbound Crescent; the Monday departures of its westbound counterpart from New York will be the first inbound train to serve New Orleans. Similarly, northbound service resumes today for the City […]
THUNDER BAY, Ontario — Bombardier will lay off 550 workers from its Thunder Bay plant — half of the workforce — effective Nov.4, the company announced last week. A Bombardier spokesman said the layoffs reflect the “cyclical nature” of the railcar business and the completion of major contracts for Go Transit and the Toronto Transit […]
BOSTON — Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority service on the Needham commuter rail line will be suspended on Saturdays beginning Aug. 3 for installation of positive train control infrastructure. The MBTA announced that the suspension of service is scheduled to continue through Oct. 12. Bus and subway alternatives for Needham line travelers are outlined in the […]
Superliner lounge used as coach diner awaits dinner guests on southbound Auto Train in 2015. Breakfast and dinner have been included in the fare price for all passengers since Amtrak started its version in 1983. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — Complimentary dinners are on their way out for Auto Train coach passengers. Food prepared onboard may […]
SEATTLE — A newly released business-case study argues that ultra-high-speed ground transportation in the Vancouver, British Columbia-Seattle-Portland, Ore., corridor would deliver economic and social benefits, and could cover its operating costs as soon as 2040. But getting to such a system by 2040 depends on resolving some huge questions, such as what technology — conventional […]
WASHINGTON — Use of an incorrect bolt, errors in installation, and a lack of repair-work oversight led to the separation of a DC Metro train last August, according to a report from the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission. The report, approved July 11 by the commission, found a series of errors that led to a failure […]
Former Pennsylvania Railroad observation car Frank Thompson, carried the tailsign or drumhead for the Broadway Limited for a portion of a recent trip as part of a weekend New York-Pittsburgh excursion. Three former Pennsy streamlined cars made the journey coupled as part of Amtrak’s daily Pennsylvanian service. The Thompson car is shown at the Amtrak […]
After a late-night U.S. Open Tennis event, riders wait for a train at the Willets Point Flushing Line subway station in Queens. Future changes within the MTA structure may be transparent to users, but could potentially save hundreds of millions of dollars in operating costs. Ralph Spielman NEW YORK – New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority […]
Artist’s rendering of proposed Mobile station Southern Rail Commission MOBILE, Ala. – Two daily round trips between New Orleans and Mobile should bear no resemblance to the timekeeping-challenged, triweekly Sunset Limited, which traversed the route before Hurricane Katrina, and the trains will not disrupt current freight operations around Mobile’s port. That’s the message presenters from […]
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority has suspended weekend service on its light rail Green Line between the Crenshaw and Redondo Beach stations as part of the work to connect the Green Line with the new Crenshaw/LAX line. The suspension began Friday evening. It will resume every Friday at 9 p.m., ending […]
