Chicago city council approves Union Station development plans NEWSWIRE

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An artist’s rendering for what a redeveloped entrance to Chicago Union Station might look like from Clinton Street. Amtrak CHICAGO — The Chicago City Council gave the go-ahead Wednesday for a $900 million redevelopment plan that includes an office tower on Amtrak-owned property next to Chicago Union Station. As part of the redevelopment, the station’s […]

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Toledo group to study restoration of passenger service to Detroit NEWSWIRE

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TOLEDO, Ohio — A Toledo governmental organization will help fund a feasibility study on reinstating train service between Toledo and Detroit, the Toledo Blade reports. The Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Government will provide $20,000 toward the study, expected to cost $50,000, and is asking the city of Toledo to fund the remainder. The roughly […]

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Chicago-Columbus rail route could carry up to 765,000 annually, study says NEWSWIRE

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An eastbound Ft. Wayne and Eastern freight passes the former Pennsylvania Railroad and Amtrak station in Warsaw, Ind., in 2013. Warsaw, which last saw Amtrak service in 1990, would be one of the stops on a proposed service between Chicago and Columbus, Ohio. Bob Johnston VALPAIRAISO, Ind. — Proposed passenger service between Chicago, Fort Wayne, […]

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On VIA’s 40th anniversary, ‘Canadian’ still shines NEWSWIRE

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VIA Rail Canada’s flagship Canadian pauses at Sioux Lookout, Ontario, on Oct. 15, 2018. Bob Johnston Dining car Palliser may be more than 60 years old, but it looks flawless as it awaits dinner service as the eastbound Canadian rolls through a sparsely populated portion of Ontario. Bob Johnston SIOUX LOOKOUT, Ont. — The official […]

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Accucraft British passenger cars

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Marc Horovitz 1:32 scale, gauge-1 British passenger cars Accucraft 33260 Central Ave. Union City CA 94587 Price: $275 ea. Website: www.accucraft.com Gauge 1, 1:32-scale British MK I coaches; mostly plastic bodies; full interior detail; rubber diaphragms; metal trucks (equalized) and wheelsets; working knuckle couplers; sprung buffers. Dimensions: length over end beams (per coach), 23 3/4″; […]

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Amtrak demands delaying Metro-North project, official says NEWSWIRE

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A Metro-North New Haven Line train rolls through a curve at Stratford, Conn., in 2015. Metro-North parent MTA says Amtrak demands are delaying a project to bring some New Haven Line trains to Penn Station. Scott A. Hartley NEW YORK — A Metropolitan Transportation Authority official says Amtrak demands have stalled a project that would […]

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Norfolk Southern to adopt Precision Scheduled Railroading operating principles NEWSWIRE

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NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern will adopt Precision Scheduled Railroading principles as it develops a new operating plan that aims to produce better service at lower cost. The decision, announced today, comes a month after Union Pacific said it, too, would implement an operating plan based on the philosophy of the late E. Hunter Harrison, […]

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At least 18 dead in Taiwan derailment caught on video NEWSWIRE

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TAIPEI, Taiwan — At least 18 people were killed and another 187 injured on Sunday afternoon when a passenger train derailed in Northeast Taiwan. It is the country’s worst rail accident in 27 years. Puyama Express No. 6432 derailed near the town of Su’ao, about 43 miles from Taipai. All eight cars of the train […]

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First Atlanta-area commuter rail line could be nearing approval NEWSWIRE

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ATLANTA — The agency overseeing Atlanta-area transit is preparing to approve the region’s first commuter rail line, a 22-mile route into the city’s south suburbs, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority could approve the line, which would connect an existing MARTA rail line to communities in Clayton County, next month. The […]

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Major BNSF track project to alter Metra schedules Oct. 26-28 NEWSWIRE

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The eastbound California Zephyr passes maintenance workers on the center track of the BNSF Railway main line at Hinsdale, Ill., in October 2016. BNSF plans a major tie-replacement project on the center track Oct. 26-28, leading to changes in Metra schedules. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — Metra schedules on its BNSF line will face some […]

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News analysis: Amtrak equipment sale reflects lack of emphasis on growth, revenue NEWSWIRE

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These P40 diesels, seen at Bear, Del., on June 7, 2010, are up for sale after being passed over for rehab. Bob Johnston BEECH GROVE, Ind. — Want to buy a 1954-vintage, ex-Santa Fe hi-level lounge? Or how about one of eight F40 or 12 P40 locomotives? Starting today through Nov. 2, Amtrak is offering […]

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Three-way race on the B&M

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Just out of Boston’s North Station, three Boston & Maine trains have crossed the Charles River drawbridges and approach the Charlestown Avenue bridge in mid-1947. From left: a 4-6-2 with a beach special, an E7 with the Alouette for Montreal via Canadian Pacific, and another 4-6-2 on the Boston section of the Green Mountain Flyer, bound for […]

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