Increasingly, the holiday season is also a team for brightly decorated trains on major commuter and transit systems. The New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco areas will all see such trains this year, including a new train on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Metro North Railroad, and Metra trains with more elaborate decorations. Here’s […]
WASHINGTON — Likely because of the difference in where the Thanksgiving holiday falls this year, weekly U.S. rail traffic shows a major volume increase for the week ending Nov. 23, 2024. Total weekly traffic was 520,798 carloads and intermodal units, a 25.6% increase over the same week last year — when Thanksgiving was on Nov. […]
WASHINGTON — Jennifer Mitchell has been appointed as Amtrak’s executive vice president of strategy and planning, the company announced Tuesday (Nov. 26). Amtrak says Mitchell will be responsible for setting the company’s long-term strategic vision and managing planning, infrastructure access, state partner, network development, and host railroad duties. Her transportation career most recently includes serving […]
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has formed a second Presidential Emergency Board to address the dispute between NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. The three members of the board were announced by the White House on Nov. 21. The board now has 60 days to produce a report selecting the offer […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s recent maintenance shutdown of a portion of the Red Line has cleared the route of slow orders for the first time in at least 20 years, the MBTA says. The work between the Harvard and Broadway stations Nov. 17-23, and between Harvard and JFK/UMass on Nov. 24, allowed […]
DENVER — Denver International and Alstom have signed a seven-year contract for Alstom to continue operation and maintenance of the airport’s People Mover system. The contract, effective Jan. 1, 2024 and valued at approximately $228 million, maintains the employment of 91 Alstom employees. Under the contract, Alstom provides 24-hour-a-day maintenance and operations for the vehicle […]
For the 82nd year, CSX’s Santa Train made its journey over the former Clinchfield Railroad on Saturday, Nov. 23, traveling from Shelby, Ky., to Kingsport, Tenn., in an approximately 9-hour, 110-mile trip featuring a dozen intermediate stops in which Santa Claus and volunteers distributed gifts to those visiting the train at trackside. The train, operating […]
MONTREAL — Members of Canadian labor union Unifor have voted to authorize a strike against Canadian National Railway if a new contract agreement is not reached by Jan. 1, 2025. Unifor said in a press release that members of the two groups representing CN workers — Council 4000 and Local 100 — had voted 97% […]
Well known from social media posts reflecting eight years of travels with owner Alan David, “raildog” Max passed away Nov. 19, 2024 during a visit to former Trains Editor Jim Wrinn’s home to see Cate Wrinn. Max began showing signs of trouble while in Fort Worth, Texas, shortly after celebrating his 9th birthday on November […]
24th Mechanized Infantry Division The first sergeant’s voice boomed out over the formation: “I’m looking for eight volunteers. I need eight men who are looking for an adventure to volunteer for a special assignment. Don’t everybody step forward at once.” Not surprisingly, no one was inclined to volunteer until they knew more about what they […]
ARLINGTON, Va. — The bargaining organization for U.S. Class I railroads has announced a fourth tentative national labor agreement, this time with the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers. The National Carriers Conference Committee announced the deal today (Monday, Nov. 25). It joins earlier deals with the Transportation Communications Union, Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, and […]
SAGINAW, Mich. — Two locomotives and five cars of a train derailed on Lake State Railway trackage Sunday afternoon, Nov. 24, spilling corn into the Saginaw River, WWJ Radio reports. The incident occurred about 1:30 p.m. Images on the Detroit News website show one covered hopper ended up on its side at the edge of […]
