Operator cleared in MBTA Red Line derailment; service delays continue NEWSWIRE

MBTA

BOSTON — The operator of a Red Line subway train that derailed last week has been cleared of responsibility for the accident which injured two passengers, the head of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said Friday. General Manager Steve Poftak said the investigation was continuing, WBUR radio reported. Delays from the Tuesday derailment of the […]

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Full service restored on ‘Missouri River Runner’ route NEWSWIRE

Amtrak2

ST. LOUIS — Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner has resumed full service between St. Louis and Kansas City, just two days after a partial resumption of service. Both daily round trips between the two cities were restored on Saturday, more than three weeks after the rail service was suspended because of additional freight traffic on the […]

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America’s Transit Challenge: Part III NEWSWIRE

4SanDimas

Workers on the LA Metro Foothill Gold Line Extension. LA Metro via SmugMug This article is the third of five on transit in the U.S. and North America. Read parts One, Two, Four, and Five online. As urban areas large and small continue to attract jobs, residents, workers, and visitors, their transportation systems demand ever […]

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Bridge strike, locomotive fire disrupt Metra BNSF commute NEWSWIRE

CHICAGO — Two unrelated incidents made for a bumpy evening commute Thursday for riders on Metra’s BNSF line. First, trains were stopped briefly after a truck struck a bridge near Western Avenue about 3:30 p.m. Trains were moving again by 4 p.m. with residual delays of 20 to 25 minute, WMAQ-TV reported. Later, a locomotive […]

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LA Metro names five to senior management positions NEWSWIRE

LAMetro

LOS ANGELES — LA Metro has announced moves to fill five key senior management positions. Joining the staff or being named to new positions are: — Nadine Lee, who becomes permanent chief of staff after six months in an interim role. She will work with CEO Phillip A. Washington to implement projects funded by Measure […]

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LA Metro works to close light rail’s ‘missing link’ NEWSWIRE

LAMetro_Connector_1

L.A. Metro workers lead a tour through one of the Regional Connector tunnels between the Little Tokyo/Arts District and Historic Broadway stations. LA Metro The Bunker Hill station on the Regional Connector will be more than 100 feet below ground. LA Metro Space constraints for the Historic Broadway station forced LA Metro to use a […]

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Two Illinois counties are rivals for Metra extension that’s unlikely to happen NEWSWIRE

Metra_Aurora_Lassen

A Metra BNSF train pulls into the Aurora station from the adjacent yard prior to a departure for Chicago on May 25, 2019. Communities in two counties want to see the BNSF route extended to serve them, but any such expansion is unlikely in the near future. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — Representatives from two […]

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Amtrak partially restores ‘Missouri River Runner’ service NEWSWIRE

Amtrak2

ST. LOUIS — Amtrak has partially restored Missouri River Runner service between St. Louis and Kansas City, beginning operation of one daily round trip as of this morning. The morning departure in each direction — Train No. 311, which leaves St. Louis at 9:15 a.m., and train No. 314, an 8:15 a.m. departure from Kansas […]

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Amtrak releases pictures of the new Acelas under construction in New York NEWSWIRE

NewAcela

A side-on view of an Alstom-built Acela power car under construction at Alstom’s shops in Hornell, N.Y. Amtrak NEW YORK – Amtrak’s new, state-of-the-art, high-speed Acela trainsets, which will redefine the customer experience on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor when they enter service on the Northeast Corridor in 2021, are making significant progress in their construction at […]

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FRA grant to help fund rebuilding of crucial St. Louis bridge NEWSWIRE

TRRAlogo

ST. LOUIS — The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded a $28.8 million grant for repairs of a key railroad bridge in St. Louis. The grant to the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis is one of 45 rail projects receiving Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grants, as announced Tuesday. [See “FRA awards $326 million […]

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In wake of derailments, MBTA to seek outside assessment NEWSWIRE

MBTA

BOSTON — The head of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority says the agency will seeks an outside review of its operations in the wake of two light-rail derailments in a four-day span and four so far in 2019. The Associated Press reports that MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak wants “a fresh set of eyes” to […]

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Metra eyes $1.6 billion from Illinois capital program NEWSWIRE

Metra Logo

CHICAGO – Metra may receive as much as $1.6 billion in state bond revenue for capital improvements over the next five years under legislation recently approved by the Illinois General Assembly, agency officials say. That number is far below the amount Metra had hoped for, but the commuter rail agency’s board members expressed gratitude to legislators […]

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