Congressman to hold hearing on Amtrak signal meltdown at Chicago Union Station, other commuter issues NEWSWIRE

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Rep. Dan Lipinski will hold a hearing Tuesday on the Feb. 28 commuter meltdown at Chicago Union Station as well as “other issues for commuters.” CHICAGO — U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) will hold a hearing Tuesday on Amtrak’s technical meltdown that snarled Metra commuter service in February. The hearing will be held in room […]

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DC Metro funding bill would block purchase of Chinese equipment NEWSWIRE

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Visitors look at models of CRRC equipment at InnoTrans in Berlin during the 2016 trade show. New legislation would block Washington’s Metro from buying equipment from CRRC. TRAINS: David Lassen WASHINGTON — Legislation proposed by Washington-area senators would authorize 10 years of funding for the DC Metro system — but only if Metro agrees not […]

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Was club in trouble before New River Train’s problems with Amtrak tariffs? NEWSWIRE

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia railroad club that sponsored the annual New River Train blames its financial woes on the cancellation of its annual October excursions on Amtrak, but an analysis of financial reporting shows the club may have been in trouble long before Amtrak began increasing its chartered private train rates in 2018. […]

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Amtrak signal problem delays Metra BNSF trains during morning commute NEWSWIRE

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Signal problems caused delays for Metra BNSF trains at Chicago Union Station on Thursday morning. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — Metra BNSF line trains experienced delays arriving and departing from Union Station on Thursday morning because of Amtrak signal problems, WGN-TV reported. Delays of 30 to 45 minutes were reported during the morning commute. “Trains […]

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Big Boy excursion ticket details: $3,000 for coach, $5,000 for dome NEWSWIRE

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Restored Big Boy No. 4014 will pull the first public excursion powered by a UP 4000-class ever on May 12. Trains: Jim Wrinn OGDEN, Utah — If you want to ride behind Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 next month, a ticket for a 65-mile one way trip across the Wasatch Grade that was […]

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Las Vegas opts for bus rapid transit over light rail NEWSWIRE

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LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Las Vegas’ transit agency has opted for bus rapid transit over light rail for an upcoming project. The Southern Nevada Regional Transportation Commission board voted unanimously on Thursday for a dedicated-lane bus transit system for its Maryland Parkway corridor project, choosing the bus option over a light rail proposal and an […]

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Planning continues to advance for new Chicago-Twin Cities Amtrak service NEWSWIRE

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The Empire Builder crosses the Mississippi River in Hastings, Minn., in September 2018. Planning continues for efforts to launch a second train on the Builder‘s route between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul. TRAINS: David Lassen PORTAGE, Wis. — A proposal for a second daily Amtrak train between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul should receive a waiver exempting […]

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PTC now fully operational on Virginia Railway Express NEWSWIRE

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ALEXANDRA, Va. — Positive train control is now fully operational on the Virginia Railway Express system, a milestone achieved Thursday (April 11) when all 32 VRE trains on the Fredericksburg and Manassas lines ran with PTC in operation. “The implementation of PTC takes system safety to the next level,” VRE CEO Doug Allen said in […]

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Bar cars unlikely to return on Metro-North, Connecticut DOT commissioner says NEWSWIRE

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HARTFORD, Conn. — The commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Transportation says bar cars, once a popular feature on Metro-North’s New Haven Line, are unlikely to return any time soon. Joseph Guilietti, the DOT commissioner and a former Metro-North president, told the Hartford Courant the bar cars would only be viable if an outside vendor was […]

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Gateway Project idles while politicians dispute progress NEWSWIRE

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WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao came under fire Wednesday at an appropriations hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives, with transportation subcommittee chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., charging the Trump administration with “neglecting to include even one cent for the Gateway project” in its fiscal year 2020 budget request. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s proposed […]

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‘Human error’ likely cause of MBTA collision, derailment

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BOSTON — “Human error” is being blamed for Tuesday’s collision of two Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority trains near Boston’s South Station, which resulted in the derailment of one train and cancellation of commuter trains on the MBTA’s Fairmount Line for part of Wednesday. The accident occurred about 8 p.m. Tuesday, when a Fairmount Line train […]

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