Confidential Close Call reporting basics

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Confidential Close Call reporting basics A New Jersey Transit train zips northward from Atlantic City to New York’s Penn Station on Jan. 23, 2010. If the crew were to err, they could report the close call and be part of a bigger program to improve safety, rather than be punished. Dennis A. Livesay photograph Confidential […]

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UPDATE: NTSB: Misaligned switch directed ‘Silver Star’ into parked CSX autorack train NEWSWIRE

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — The head of the National Transportation Safety Board says a misaligned switch is the immediate reason Amtrak’s southbound Silver Star collided with a parked CSX Transportation freight train early Sunday, killing two people and injuring dozens. Investigators say they’ll now try and find out why the switch was misaligned. NTSB Chariman Robert […]

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MARTA signs deal to refurbish cars NEWSWIRE

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ATLANTA – The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has signed a $146-million contract to refurbish 118 of its railcars. Kinkisharyo International, the U.S. subsidiary of Japan’s Kinki Shayro Corp., will do the work at its factory in Piscataway, N.J., a former plastics factory converted by the company in 2015. The contract, part of MARTA’s Rail […]

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Ewbank gas-electric locomotive

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Gene Mendonca’s painting of Ewbank Electric Transmission Co.’s train. Gene Mendonca Q Can you tell me anything about the Ewbank Electric Transmission Co. that is the subject of a picture I painted from a very old newspaper clipping? – Gene Mendonca, Folsom, Calif. A H.B. Ewbank Jr. built No. 333, a 75-foot-long gas-electric locomotive with […]

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Trains Video Postcard: the Princeton ‘Dinky’ NEWSWIRE

PRINCETON, N.J. — PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J. — A cloudy late January morning sees NJ Transit electric multiple unit Arrow III cars Nos. 1311 and 1329 doing yeoman service on the Princeton Junction to Princeton “Dinky.” This 2.7-mile line offers over 40 round trips a day, connecting with NJT Northeast Corridor trains at Princeton Junction; it […]

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NTSB interviews engineer of Amtrak Cascades train No. 501 NEWSWIRE

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The remains of Amtrak Cascades train No. 501 in December 2017. Steve Carter WASHINGTON — As part of its ongoing investigation into the Dec. 18, 2017, derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in DuPont, Washington, the National Transportation Safety Board released Thursday an update about the agency’s investigation. NTSB investigators interviewed the engineer and the […]

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Brightline service under scrutiny after grade-crossing incidents NEWSWIRE

Video via YouTube. BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Grade-crossing accidents just a mile apart that resulted in the deaths of two people in a week have the new Brightline passenger service in the crosshairs of elected officials and trial attorneys. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has asked Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to investigate. Boynton Beach officials […]

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‘Pacific Surfliner’ consists expanded again NEWSWIRE

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A Pacific Surfliner hugs the beach at Carpinteria, Calif., in 2013 Bob Johnston LOS ANGELES — Amtrak and the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency continue to expand the capacity of Pacific Surfliner service in response to the closure of U.S. Route 101, which severed the direct highway connection between Santa Barbara, Calif., and the rest of […]

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SEPTA officials looking to return regional train service to West Chester NEWSWIRE

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WEST CHESTER, Pa. — It’s been almost 32 years since the last SEPTA commuter train left West Chester, west of Philadelphia. Officials with the regional commuter agency say they’re considering restoration of service to the Chester County seat. A regional planning organization working with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Transportation Authority estimates up to 2,000 people […]

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CN to boost capital spending, add capacity NEWSWIRE

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Jim McLeod, Canadian National’s chief engineer, structures, design & construction, speaks at the NRC conference in Los Angeles on Friday. TRAINS: David Lassen LOS ANGELES — When it comes to capital spending, Canadian National has left behind “steady as we go” and is moving into a cycle of “the gangbuster variety.” That’s the assessment of […]

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