Continuing our countdown of the Trains News Wire Top 10 stories of 2022, as determined by a vote of Trains editors, columnists, and masthead correspondents: A lengthy and acrimonious process finally produced a settlement between Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, CSX Transportation, and Alabama State Port Authority late in the year, providing a framework to bring passenger […]
LEXINGTON, N.C. — One passenger was reportedly hospitalized after a Charlotte-bound Amtrak Piedmont train struck a tractor-trailer at a grade crossing on Tuesday morning, the Raleigh News & Observer reports. The accident occurred about 9 a.m. No additional information was available on the injured passenger. No other injuries to passengers or crew were reported, and […]
AVENTURA, Fla. — After a three-day delay caused by inspection issues, Brightline’s new Aventura station opened on Dec. 24. The passenger operator had held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new stations at Aventura and Boca Raton on Dec. 20, only to have the Aventura opening delayed by issues regarding its elevators [see “Opening delayed […]
WASHINGTON — A new 13,500-foot bypass around CSX Transportation’s Gentilly Yard in New Orleans and four siding extensions — three in Mississippi and one in Alabama — are among the 12 projects that would be funded under a grant sought by Amtrak to upgrade the route between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., for Gulf Coast […]
The Military Railroad Society, a 501 C3 not for profit organization, returns to provide military families, both current and retired, with an affordable train option for the holidays. The Fort Eustis (Virgnia) Railroad hosted the 2022 operation aboard its train set consisting of holiday-themed cars lead by United States Army (rebuilt) GP9u no. 4624. […]
COLLEGEDALE, Tenn. — Injured crew members have been released from the hospital and a Norfolk Southern rail line has been reopened after Tuesday’s derailment of a train that hit a 134-foot concrete bridge beam being transported by truck, WRCB-TV reports. The rail line reopened Wednesday morning, while the grade crossing that was the site of […]
AVENTURA, Fla. — Brightline passenger service from the new Aventura station north of Miami, which was slated to begin Wednesday (Dec. 21) after ceremonies Tuesday marking its completion, has been postponed over delays in final construction inspections, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. Brightline spokeswoman Vanessa Alfonso told the newspaper the issue involved the stations’s elevator […]
COLLEGEDALE, Tenn. — Two Norfolk Southern crew members were taken to the hospital for treatment after their train struck a truck carrying a 134-foot-long concrete bridge beam and derailed, WTVC-TV reports. The accident occurred about 1:30 p.m. in the Chattanooga suburb of Collegeville and derailed three locomotives and 10 cars. Injuries to the crew […]
BOCA RATON, Fla. — After holding ceremonies today (Tuesday, Dec. 20) to mark the opening of new stations in Boca Raton and Aventura, Fla., Brightline will begin passenger service to both cities on its Miami-West Palm Beach route on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Ceremonies at Boca Raton were held at 9 a.m. featuring remarks by Brightline […]
RALEIGH, N.C. — R.J. Corman has launched operation today (Monday, Dec. 19) of the Raleigh & Fayetteville Railroad, a 63-mile route between its two namesake cities in North Carolina. The railroad’s first train, led by GP38-2 No. 7710, is shown heading south from Raleigh to Fuquay-Varina, N.C. R.J. Corman announced in November it was […]
ATLANTA — The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority unveiled its newest railcars on Friday, representing a $646 million investment to replace its aging fleet of 340 cars. The new CQ400 railcars will replace MARTA’s existing fleet of CQ310, CQ311 and CQ312 cars. In November 2019, MARTA’s board of directors approved the $646 million deal with […]
RIDGELAND, Miss. — A federal grant seeks almost $179 million to fund improvements for Amtrak Gulf Coast service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., while CSX Transportation will pay almost $10 million toward the matching funds for those improvements, according to a news report. The non-profit news site Mississippi Today reports the Alabama State Port […]
