LOS ANGELES — Seven passengers and a crew member were injured today (Oct. 8, 2025) when a Metrolink Ventura County Line train struck a stationary train as it arrived at Los Angeles Union Station. The Los Angeles Daily News reports the collision occurred about 7:30 a.m. and involved inbound train No. 104. The stationary train […]
WASHINGTON — Brightline West is seeking a $6 billion government loan to address increased construction costs for its planned route between Southern California and Las Vegas, Nev. A Department of Transportation document indicates the company behind the project, DesertXpress Enterprises, LLC, applied for the loan under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, which dates […]
GUADALUPE, Calif. — The vehicle driver has died and three passengers were injured in a Wednesday (Oct. 1) collision between Amtrak’s northbound Coast Starlight and a tank truck carrying diesel fuel in rural Santa Barbara County The local website Noozhawk reports the incident occurred about 4:15 p.m., with Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Scott Safechuck […]
Union Pacific 4-8-4 803 and a Southern Pacific E7 wait outside Los Angeles Union Passenger terminal in the late 1940s, ready to back down to their respective trains. The E7 is for the Golden State, while the 4-8-4 is likely for the Los Angeles Limited. Herbert Johnson photo […]
Editor’s note: San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority Interim Director David Lipari provided additional information on Oct. 6, 2025, that corrects and expands upon information that was not available or mischaracterized in the original report. Updated Oct. 7 at 11.45 a.m. OAKLAND, Calif. — Transit America, a subsidiary of Herzog Transit Services, Inc., has been tapped […]
50 years ago in Trains: Bombarding Beaumont in 1948 WHAT a grand and extraordinary depiction this photograph is of Standard Railroading in full and final flower! For the flagship of Southern Pacific’s New Orleans-Los Angeles Sunset Route the Sunset Limited, which is destined to become the last of America’s great passenger trains to be dieselized […]
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The first hydrogen-powered passenger trainset in the U.S. will enter revenue service this Saturday, Sept. 13, the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority has announced. The train will debut on the 9-mile, five station Arrow corridor between San Bernardino and Redlands, Calif., and on its first day will offer zero-fare rides. The […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Efforts to replenish the beach in San Clemente to protect the Surf Line rail line used by Amtrak, Metrolink, and BNSF Railway began last week with the first deliveries of sand on Friday. The Orange County Transportation Authority says some 300 truckloads of sand from a quarry in Palm Springs will […]
SAN FRANCISCO — Transit agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area have become the latest to say they’re facing massive service cuts without state action. The San Francisco Chronicle reports a $750 million loan promised by Gov. Gavin Newsom now appears unlikely to be finalized before the state legislature ends its session on Friday, Sept. […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — “Locomotive repair work” is being cited in an advisory to Capitol Corridor passengers this week as the reason two Sacramento-Oakland round trips have been canceled beginning Wednesday, Sept. 3. The cancellations will continue through through Friday, Sept. 19. The Oakland-Bakersfield San Joaquins also lose a round trip during the same period. A […]
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A planned extension of Metrolink commuter rail service to provide an option for commuters between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties will be delayed until at least January 2026, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments was told at its most recent meeting. The SBCAG, Ventura County Transportation Authority, and Metrolink agreed […]
Retired Model Railroader Managing Editor Jim Kelly remains active in honing his N scale skills and craftsmanship. The result has been the fourth incarnation of his Tehachapi Pass layout. Set in 1985, both the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe and Southern Pacific traverse the 2% grade between Bakersfield and Tehachapi, Calif., with the famous Tehachapi […]
