New York MTA faces new budget shortfalls, state comptroller says

Electric multiple-unit commuter train passes through station

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which until recently said its budget was balanced through 2026, faces a budget shortfall of $211 million this year, the New York State Comptroller said in a report issued Wednesday. That would rise to $652 million by 2028, the report says, and there are variables that could make […]

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Crichlow appointed president of New York City Transit

Smiling man in suit

NEW YORK — Demetrius Crichlow, who has been serving as interim president of New York City Transit for the past four months, was appointed to the position on a permanent basis today (Wednesday, Oct. 23) by Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber. Crichlow becomes the 12th president of the MTA department overseeing New York’s subways, […]

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Mobile groundbreaking yields no news on start for Amtrak Gulf Coast service

Architectural drawings of train station platform

MOBILE, Ala. — Two ongoing questions about Amtrak’s Gulf Coast service — when it will begin and what the New Orleans-Mobile trains will be called — remained unanswered during a Tuesday, Oct. 22, groundbreaking ceremony for a station platform and layover track in Mobile. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Amit Bose […]

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CSX announces tentative deals with two unions, ratification of agreement by yardmasters

CSX logo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has reached new tentative five-year deals with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers. The railroad also announced ratification of an agreement with yardmasters represented by the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD). “The new tentative agreements […]

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Wildfires, work stoppage limit CN revenue gains

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway saw modest revenue gains as wildfires and a work stoppage slowed operations in the third quarter in financial results announced today (Tuesday, Oct. 22). Revenue was $2.97 billion in the quarter ending Sept. 30, up 3% from the year-ago quarter. Operating income of $1.1 billion was unchanged from a year […]

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Norfolk Southern, electrical workers announce tentative contract deal

Logo of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which includes lighting bolts held by a fist

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has reached a tentative five-year agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the railroad announced today (Tuesday, Oct. 22). The agreement, subject to ratification, means the railroad has tentative deals with approximately 67% of its union work force. “Norfolk Southern is committed to working with all of our labor unions […]

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MBTA sets Red, Green line shutdowns in November

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority logo

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will continue its effort to address maintenance needs on its rail transit system with a series of projects in November on the Red and Green lines, as well as on three commuter rail lines. Previously announced work on the Orange Line is already in progress and is scheduled […]

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Washout shuts down BNSF line in New Mexico

BNSF Railway logo

ROSWELL, N.M. — BNSF Railway’s Carlsbad Subdivision has been closed by a washout near Roswell that will keep the line closed for most of the week, the railroad has informed customers. An advisory on the railroad website says the washout was reported shortly after 7 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20. After assessment by BNSF personnel, […]

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Nickel Plate Road No. 765’s 2024 season has a fall finish

Riding a steam-powered train through fall foliage

PLEASANT LAKE, Ind. — Finishing off the 2024 operating season for Nickel Plate Road No. 765 was the Indiana Rail Experience’s second annual Fall Color Steam Special on Oct. 19 and 20. The all-day round-trip jaunts drew beautiful weather as the 80-year-old 2-8-4 of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society marched up and down the […]

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‘Rocky Patel Rolling Smoke Cigar Train’ photo gallery

black and yellow locomotive

Rocky Patel Rolling Smoke Cigar Train The “Rocky Patel Rolling Smoke Cigar Train” behind Nickel Plate Road SD9 No. 358 ran a round-trip excursion from Pleasant Lake, Ind., to Hillsdale, Mich., and return on Oct. 12, 2024. The special is one of several themed excursions offered as part of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society’s […]

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San Francisco Muni to replace floppy-disk train control system

Map of San Francisco Muni light rail system

SAN FRANCISCO — The floppy-disk era is nearing an end on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. KGO-TV reports that the Muni board has approved a $212 million contract with Hitachi Rail for a train control system that will replace the more than 30-year-old system that still runs on outdated floppy-disk technology. The Automatic Train […]

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