SCRANTON, Pa. – Genesee Valley Transportation, the nation’s largest operator of six-motor Alco and Montreal Locomotive Works diesels, has almost doubled its fleet of the rare locomotives with the acquisition of four M636 units from regional railroad Western New York & Pennsylvania. Rebuilt General Electric AC60CWs idled WNYP’s active fleet of six big MLWs in […]
ELKTON, S.D. — Two people were killed Friday when their vehicle crashed through a crossing-gate arm and struck a moving train, setting the vehicle on fire and derailing the train into a grain elevator, the Mitchell Republic reports. The incident occurred about 7 p.m. at a grade crossing on the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern […]
WASHINGTON — A federal court has struck down the Surface Transportation Board’s approval of the Uinta Basin Railway project, calling the decision allowing its construction “arbitrary and caprious.” The court also vacated the Environmental Impact Statement and a related document underlying that decision and sent the matter back to the STB. In granting the exemption […]
SAN MATEO, Calif. — Caltrain will purchase a battery-electric version of the Stadler electric multiple-unit passenger equipment it has purchased for its upcoming electrification, allowing operation beyond the limits of system electrification. The California Transportation Commission has approved the funding for the purchase of a single battery-electric trainset and related maintenance and charging facilities, Caltrain […]
LOS ANGELES — LA Metro has received the first cars in an order of new subway equipment built by China’s CRRC, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. The 75-foot-long stainless steel HR4000 cars will be placed in service in six to eight months, a Metro spokesman told the Daily News in an email. They have […]
BATON ROUGE, La. — The state of Louisiana will use money it is retaining through a deal with the federal government to fund a proposed passenger rail operation between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, NOLA.com reports. The decision by Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration will direct to the rail project some $20.5 million that the […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak on Thursday announced the launch of “Amtrak Gives Back,” which it calls “a community engagement program focused on being a good neighbor and valuable partner to the communities it serves.” The company will look to help non-profit organizations in communities served by the passenger operator, “including those that promote diversity and inclusion,” […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — The reopening of Ottawa’s light rail Trillium Line, the diesel-powered, north-south route which has been closed since May 2020 for expansion, has been further delayed and will not come until “the end of the year,” the Ottawa Citizen reports. The 16-kilometer (9.9-mile), eight-station southward extension of the Trillium line was supposed to […]
WASHINGTON — For the second time in a month, Brightline West has filed “Expedited Action Requested” documents with the Surface Transportation Board, seeking approval of the company’s plans for building a 186-mph electrified rail line between Las Vegas, Nev., and Southern California. On Tuesday, Aug. 15, Brightline West urged the STB to rule favorably on […]
ERIE, Pa. — An official in Erie County says that Wabtec may be preparing to close its locomotive plant in Erie if it does not reach a new labor agreement with 1,400 striking workers. County Executive Brenton Davis said in a statement Wednesday that he had confirmed that “Wabtec was visited by representatives of a […]
BALTIMORE — Amtrak is going to court to acquire four small pieces of land in West Baltimore it says it needs for the project to replace the aging Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel, one of the most significant bottlenecks on the Northeast Corridor. The Washington Post reports the company has filed suit to acquire the properties […]
WASHINGTON — Carload traffic showed more of a downward tick for the week ending Aug. 12, leading to a larger overall drop than has been the case recently for weekly U.S. rail traffic. The weekly figure of 472,498 carloads and intermodal units represented a 4.2% decrease from the same week in 2022, after several weeks […]
