Amtrak to spend $90 million on Baltimore station improvements

Amtrak logo.

BALTIMORE — Amtrak will spend $90 million to upgrade Baltimore’s Penn Station, a move expected to ignite $400 to $600 million in development around the station area, the Baltimore Sun reports. Amtrak will make station and track improvements and lease an adjacent lot to a group, Penn Station Partners, to build a mixed-use project. “Amtrak […]

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California high speed rail CEO seeks to restore confidence in flagging project NEWSWIRE

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After a year of turmoil capped by Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pledge in February to scale back California’s high-speed rail project, CEO Brian Kelly says he will unveil a new construction plan May 1 designed to restore flagging public confidence in the project. The plan was devised by DB Engineering & Consulting, […]

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Cuomo speech rails at MTA, offers fixes NEWSWIRE

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for major changes to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and New York’s subways — as typified by these No. 7 trains at Corona Yard in Queens — in a Thursday speech. Ralph Spielman NEW YORK — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told a civic group Thursday that the Metropolitan Transportation […]

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Northstar adds train service for Final Four weekend NEWSWIRE

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The Twin Cities’ Northstar commuter rail service will add trains for this weekend’s Final Four in Minneapolis. Steve Glischinski MINNEAPOLIS — Northstar Commuter Rail will run special trains beginning Friday for the NCAA basketball Final Four and related events being held at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. Today (Friday, April 5) an additional train […]

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Rail subcommittee chairman ‘extremely disappointed’ with Amtrak response on Union Station incident NEWSWIRE

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U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski is not satisfied with Amtrak’s response to his questions over a Feb. 28 incident that badly disrupted operations at Chicago Union Station. TRAINS: David Lassen WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, says he is “extremely disappointed” with Amtrak’s explanation for the […]

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Study explores possibility of returning Amtrak to Detroit’s Michigan Central Station NEWSWIRE

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Michigan Central Station in 1981. A study is exploring the possibility of returning Amtrak service to the station. Ernest L. Novak DETROIT — The revival of Detroit’s Michigan Central Station could include passenger train service. Bridge Michigan, an online journalism cooperative, reports that the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority have begun a $30,000 feasibility study to […]

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Virgin Group’s Branson highlights MiamiCentral rebranding

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MIAMI — Sir Richard Branson became the media darling of South Florida this week as Virgin Trains USA rebranded MiamiCentral, the massive terminal complex revitalizing a downtrodden area bordering the city’s business district. It was the initial move in the long-expected rebranding of Brightline passenger service. The flamboyant Branson, dressed in white and attracting a […]

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New group forms to represent commuter rail interests NEWSWIRE

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ALEXANDRA, Va. — Metra, NJ Transit, and TriMet of Portland, Ore., are among the initial members of the Commuter Rail Coalition, a new association formed to advocate for commuter railroads in the U.S. Describing itself as “a single-minded advocate in Washington” for U.S. commuter railroads, the coalition website says it is “a collection of agencies, […]

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Some New York residents to get commuter rail discounts as part of congestion pricing deal NEWSWIRE

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NEW YORK — Some New York City residents will receive discounts on Long Island Rail Road tickets as part of the deal to bring congestion pricing tolls to New York. The New York Post reports that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will offer 20% discounts on monthly passes to residents of northeast Queens. The discounts, which […]

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Steam to visit SEPTA in May NEWSWIRE

NORTH WALES, Pa. — For the first time in nearly three decades, steam will traverse SEPTA’s Lansdale-to-Doylestown main line. In recognition of the 150th birthday of the borough of North Wales, Pa., the New Hope Railroad is hosting a series of four excursions on May 18. The excursions will be pulled by Baldwin-built 1925 2-8-0 […]

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Virgin Trains USA raises $1.75 billion in bond sale NEWSWIRE

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MIAMI — Virgin Trains USA found strong demand for the bonds to finance it expansion, selling $1.75 billion in private activity bonds this week. Trade publication The Bond Buyer reported that the offering may have received up to $4 billion in orders for the bonds. It quoted Brian Wynne, head of public finance at Morgan […]

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How-to Library: C&NW Suburban Service, Part 4

Cody painting the interior of a Chicago & North Western HO scale commuter car.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page   In this episode, Cody works to paint the interior of a Chicago & North Western HO scale commuter car. From there, he shows how to add seated figures before reassembling the car. […]

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