Florida legislation seeks membership in Southern Rail Commission

Passenger train crossing long bridge at dusk

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers are considering legislation to allow the state to join the Southern Rail Commission — but the motivation for that legislation could face a roadblock. Bills in the state’s House of Representatives (HB 833) and Senate (SB 966) indicate the goal in joining the SRC is to revive service to Pensacola, […]

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NJ Transit accelerates effort to fix cloudy railcar windows

Bilevel passenger cars at station platform

NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit will speed up efforts to replace damaged windows on its multilevel railcars, cutting the time to complete to three years instead of the previously projected six to eight years. The plan to replace the windows in one third of the fleet over the next three years was announced Wednesday, March […]

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NTSB releases preliminary report on SEPTA train fire

Satellite view of route followed by SEPTA train on day of Feb. 6, 2025, fire

WASHINGTON — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train that caught fire on Feb. 6, 2025, had been inspected earlier in the day because of sluggish performance, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on the incident released today (March 5, 2025), About 325 passengers and four crew members were safely evacuated from the […]

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Comeback for Texas Eagle’s Sightseer Lounge: Trip report

Interior of lounge car with seats facing outward, toward windows

CHICAGO — “This is a special day on the Texas Eagle,” said the attendant over the PA system as the train emerged into daylight on its Monday, March 3, departure from Chicago Union Station. “Because today is the day we got our observation car back! Anyone can go in there and relax — it lets […]

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Suit by Sierra Club, transit group seeks to preserve New York’s congestion pricing

Map of Lower Manhattan

NEW YORK — The Sierra Club and transit advocacy group Riders Alliance are suing the U.S. Department of Transportation over its revocation of approval for Manhattan’s congestion pricing program. The suit filed Tuesday, March 4, in U.S. District Court, calls for the court to vacate the decision by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. It notes the […]

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South Dakota Senate votes down Amtrak resolution

Map of rail route between Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul through South Dakota

PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota’s Senate has voted down a bill calling for support for introduction of Amtrak service in the state. House Concurrent Resolution 6008 calls for state’s congressional delegation and the Trump administration to work for development of a route through the state connecting Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul [see “South Dakota resolution …,” […]

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Schedule released for MBTA’s new South Coast Rail service

Map of rail lines in southeastern Massachusetts

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has released the initial schedule for the South Coast Rail service to New Bedford and Fall River, Mass., set to begin on March 24. The debut of the new operation will feature free weekend travel and free parking through the end of April, the MBTA announced last week. […]

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Cleveland RTA orders 18 more Siemens light rail vehicles

Two-car light rail trainset

CLEVELAND — The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority will purchase an additional 18 light rail vehicles from Siemens Mobility for use on its Red, Blue, and Green lines, Siemens has announced. The order for the S200 LRVs exercises a second option from an initial purchase for 24 of the vehicles made in 2023 [see “Siemens […]

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FRA personnel cuts could further delay languishing rail initiatives: Analysis

Man in crowd on platform next to passenger train

WASHINGTON — Disbursement of funds from grants awarded under a variety of Federal Railroad Administration continue to be held up by a lengthy approval process involving FRA personnel. These investments are threatened by potential staff reductions at the agency, as well as possible vetos by overseers invoking new Trump administration ideological criteria. Concerned about such […]

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Chicago Tribune sues CTA over information requests

Stainless steel railcar with smashed-in front end

CHICAGO — The Chicago Tribune is suing the Chicago Transit Authority over the CTA’s alleged failure to fulfill requests under the Freedom of Information Act, the newspaper reported Saturday. The Tribune reports the suit filed Friday, Feb. 28, in Cook County Circuit Court, cites six instances where the CTA did not respond promptly, fully, or […]

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