MBTA trains meet in Framingham, Mass., in 2016.The MBTA has had to put a popular weekend-pass program on hold, citing federal rules. Scott A. Hartley BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s $10 weekend pass is on indefinite hold, MBTA officials said this week, citing federal rules for ending the pilot program. The MBTA says […]
NEW YORK — A task force examining the state of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority says the transit agency could need as much as $60 billion for a five-year plan to address capital needs, and makes some wide-ranging recommendations on how to improve the commuter network. The New York Times reports that the recommendations of […]
A MUNI PCC car. Ivan Abrams SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, known as MUNI, plans to build a new bi-directional loop on its historic F-Line that will improve service on the popular streetcar route. The loop will be located in downtown San Francisco, right in the middle of the F-Line between […]
A San Joaquin with former New Jersey Transit Comet cars prepares to depart Bakersfield, Calif., on Jan 31. 2017. A schedule adjustment has added more service to Bakersfield on weekends and holidays. Bob Johnston STOCKTON, Calif. — Amtrak’s San Joaquins have introduced new schedules to better accommodate weekend travelers and shorten connections to bus service. […]
BOSTON — Amtrak customers traveling in and out of Boston South Station can now enjoy the newly renovated and re-branded Metropolitan Lounge ,as part of a larger Amtrak lounge station refresh initiative. Previously known as ClubAcela, the newly opened Metropolitan Lounge, still in its convenient location near the platforms for easy boarding access, features new […]
TORONTO — GO Transit will begin regular weekday commuter service to Niagara Falls, Ont., on Jan. 7, 2019, extending a round trip that currently begins and ends in Hamilton. The Government of Ontario announced last week that train No. 704, which currently departs from the Hamilton West Harbour station at 6:39 a.m., will now originate […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has received a $19 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration to convert a storage track at Washington Union Station into a passenger platform. WTOP reports the project will require installing new track, rebuilding a passenger platform, restoring columns, and adding an escalator, elevator, and stairs to allow access to the track […]
BOSTON — Amtrak will end checked baggage service on the Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited, effective Jan. 7. The change on trains 448 and 449 means Springfield, Mass., will lose checked baggage service entirely, while Northeast Regional trains 65, 66 and 67 (Boston-Washington-Newport News overnight) will be the only trains with checked baggage serving Boston […]
Part of the problem with crossing gates on Denver’s A Line commuter service is that tall buildings interfere with GPS signals, the RTD says in a report. TRAINS: David Lassen DENVER — Tall buildings are part of the reason for Denver RTD’s ongoing grade-crossing problems on two commuter rail lines, the transit agency told federal […]
With a dual-power ALP-45 locomotive in the background, a chart showing NJ Transit’s progress in installing positive train control is on display at a Monday press conference at the Meadows Maintenance Center. Ralph Spielman KEARNY, N.J. — After an intense year of playing catch-up, NJ Transit has met the deadline for positive train control equipment […]
A year after the fatal derailment of Amtrak Cascades train No. 501, service has not yet returned to the Point Defiance Bypass. Steve Carter A northbound Amtrak Cascades train passes the southern end of the Point Defiance Bypass, the track at right, at Nisqually, Wash., in June 2018. A year after the derailment of the […]
WASHINGTON — A report issued last week by the Congressional Budget Office says eliminating the Federal Transit Administration would save $127 billion from 2021 through 2028, and that abolishing funding for Amtrak would avoid $19.8 billion in projected federal spending. The American Public Transportation Association responded immediately, saying it “strongly opposed” the idea. “Eliminating federal […]
