SACRAMENTO — California legislators have reached a deal to provide almost $2 billion in funding for the state’s public transit that was not part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget. The deal announced by state Sens. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Jesse Arreguin (D-Berkeley) restores a $1.1 billion transit cut included in Newsom’s budget, and […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific’s Abraham Lincoln commemorative locomotive will be displayed at baseball’s College World Series, the railroad has announced. The locomotive, along with cars from the UP heritage fleet, will be on display at the railroad’s “Home Plate” location adjacent to Charles Schwab Field, site of the baseball tournament, from noon to 6 […]
WASHINGTON — Although the Trump Administration’s budget for fiscal 2026 provided little rationale for boosting Amtrak’s National Network funding by almost 23% while decreasing Northeast Corridor money by 25.5%, the proposal provides insight for Congress and company leadership on what their priorities should be. The recent release of budget details [see “Trump budget calls for […]
CHESTERTON, Ind. — The start of service on South Shore Line’s new West Lake Corridor, the 9-mile spur between Hammond and Dyer, Ind., has slipped back further, and now is not likely until at least the end of this year, General Manager Mike Noland said in a recent message to riders. The message on the […]
The latest edition of News Wire Recommended Reading ranges around the world, looking at everything from a new rail line in India to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s long, strange trip to replacing some of its rapid transit equipment. — The New York Times provides a look at India’s new rail line to Kashmir, which […]
I have always had a thing for “class units,” that is, the first in a series, and “my engine” is Illinois Central SD40 6000, delivered in late 1967 in the then-new orange and white color scheme. I have a custom-painted HO scale model of it, weathered in that livery. Best of all, during my […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Ballard Power Systems will supply 12 hydrogen fuel cell engines to Sierra Northern Railway for Sierra Northern’s hydrogen locomotive project, Ballard announced on Thursday (June 5). The engines, capable of generating 1.5 megawatts, will be used to convert three diesel switchers to hydrogen power. Sierra Northern held the initial test for […]
NEW YORK — Four Long Island Rail Road employees at the Hillside Maintenance Complex in Queens have been disciplined for timekeeping abuse discovered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Office of Inspector General, Inspector General Daniel G. Cort announced. Three of the employees were suspended for periods ranging from 120 days to nine months, while a […]
BURNET, Texas — An aggregates company’s proposal to build a 26.9-mile railroad to haul rock in Texas’ Hill Country is on hold in the wake of public opposition. Texas Materials Group had initiated the Surface Transportation Board’s environmental review process for construction of a new line in Burnet and Lampasas Counties to serve four quarries […]
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit is beginning the process of building a new rail maintenance-of-way equipment facility in Clifton, N.J., preparing a Request for Qualifications this month, pending approval from the state comptroller’s office. The Request for Qualifications for Special Prequalification will be the initial step in a two-phase procurement process to select a team […]
WASHINGTON — Metra’s request to the Surface Transportation Board for terminal trackage rights in the Chicago area is an effort to maintain below-market rates for access to the Union Pacific system, UP says in a filing responding to Metra’s initial arguments to support that request. Such a financial dispute “is not the board’s problem,” UP […]
ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern today unveiled its latest heritage locomotive, an SD70ACe honoring the Delaware & Hudson Railway. Locomotive No. 1080, built for NS in 2013, was painted in the D&H’s classic lightning stripe scheme in Norfolk Southern’s Juniata Shop in Altoona, Pa. “We know many have asked about plans for a Delaware & Hudson […]
