KEARNY, N.J. — Work is about 25% complete on the cutover of the first track of the new Portal North Bridge, Amtrak and NJ Transit officials said at a Thursday news conference at the construction site. “We’re on track and on schedule,” Jason Hoover, Amtrak assistant vice president, major programs-bridges, said, according to a NorthJersey.com […]
AMBOY, Neb. — One person in a vehicle was killed Thursday (Feb. 19) in a grade crossing collision that derailed a BNSF Railway train in Amboy. BNSF said in a statement to Nebraska Television that the accident occurred about 10 a.m. when “a vehicle struck an empty grain train at a crossing near Red Cloud, […]
PORT CLINTON, Pa. — The Reading & Northern has announced its 2026 schedule of mainline excursions to Jim Thorpe, Pa., featuring operations from Pittston and Reading, Pa. Trains will run Saturdays and Sundays through Sept. 20, as well as St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. The railroad will also offer its […]
AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin agency overseeing the city’s planned light rail network has selected the construction contractor for the project. The selection of Austin Rail Constructors, a joint venture of firms Stacy Witbeck and Sundt Construction, was approved on Wednesday (Feb. 18) by the board of the Austin Transit Partnership, the local government corporation […]
PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Thirteen cars of an Ann Arbor Railroad train derailed early today (Feb. 18, 2026), leading to road closures that could last for several days. The Pittsfield Township Police said in a Facebook post that the police and fire departments were dispatched to the derailment scene at 5:06 a.m. No injuries were reported […]
WASHINGTON — Several rail unions are among organizations that have announced support for the Holiday Pay Act, a bill introduced last week by U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) that would require employers to pay time and a half for working federal holidays. “Many Americans are working holidays because they need the money and giving up […]
HAMDEN, Conn. — The union official who represents Amtrak engineers has taken exception to a claim by Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber that Amtrak “feared the competition” when it withdrew support for proposed Metro-North service between New York City and Albany, N.Y. “The issue is not about competition,” wrote Patrick W. Darcy Jr., general […]
HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut’s Shore Line East commuter rail operation could revert to diesel-powered trains under a budget-saving move, the state’s transportation commissioner told a budget hearing last week. The move would reverse a 2022 switch from diesel-powered trains to the current Kawasaki M8 electric multiple-unit trainsets [see “Connecticut replaces diesel Shore Line East trains […]
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Canadian National’s ongoing effort to operate a “leaner and more productive” railroad is now focusing on terminal operations, CEO Tracy Robinson told an investor conference today (Tuesday, Feb. 17). Chief Operating Officer Patrick Whitehead is currently focusing on those terminals, Robinson said. “That’s where something like 50% of our operating labor […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — Brightline today unveiled its “Freedom Express” trainset, which wraps 10 cars with designs marking key moments in American history. The train will be regular service through July. The design was created in partnership with America250, the nonpartisan organization established by Congress to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Beginning April 7 from Denver and April 10 from Salt Lake City, Rocky Mountaineer’s U.S. brand, Canyon Spirit, will begin operating weekly “Rockies to Red Rocks” round trips. These travel on the California Zephyr’s route plus passage over Union Pacific’s Cane Creek branch in Utah through mid-November. However, there are no […]
Railroad engineers — or train drivers, as they are known to most of the world — are the focus of two of the articles in the latest installment of Trains.com’s occasional Recommended Reading feature. First up, we have this article from UK newspaper The Telegraph on a driver for the Caledonian Sleeper, the London-to-Scotland passenger […]
