MBTA to restore subway, bus service as quickly as possible, GM says The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which has been heavily criticized for service cuts even as it received federal aid, now says it will look to restore subway and bus service to pre-pandemic levels as quickly as possible. WBUR reports MBTA General Manager Steve […]
Rio Grande’s California Fast Freight departs Tennessee Pass station, crest of the Continental Divide, in April 1938. Big 2-8-8-2 3606 will keep the train in check on the 3 percent grade down to Minturn, Colo. H. Kindig […]
Contractor informs California high speed agency of new delays A contractor on California’s high speed rail project has told the state high speed rail agency that it will not complete a 65-mile section of the railway in the Central Valley until at least April 2025, almost two years after the target date in the agency’s […]
Use of LA Union Station for Oscars leads to Amtrak operation changes Amtrak operations at Los Angeles Union Station will be affected April 5-27 by the station’s use as one of two sites for the 93rd Academy Awards, to be held April 25. From April 5 to 23, and April 26-27, Thruway buses will be […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A year behind schedule because of three COVID-related delays, the board of California’s High-Speed Rail Authority voted 6-3 Thursday to send a business plan to the state legislature calling for an initial operating segment between Central Valley cities of Merced and Bakersfield, with the possibility of opening that segment as a single-track […]
MBTA Orange Line work after derailment extended to April 11 The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has extended its shutdown of a portion of the Orange Line by one week, through April 11. NBC-10 Boston reports the use of shuttle buses between the Oak Grove and Sullivan Square stations will continue as the agency continues infrastructure […]
Dallas City Council approves $1.7 billion ‘D2’ subway project The Dallas City Council has approved building a new light rail route through downtown including a subway section with three underground stations. WFAA-TV reports the council also said it would support Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s effort to obtain an $800 million Federal Transit Administration grant to […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Anticipating rail travel demand comes with dual challenges: incur costs running trains with initial low patronage, or risk not providing enough options to build revenue and transportation relevance. Amtrak will begin restoring daily departures for its long-distance trains in late May, after receiving directives and $1.7 billion from Congress [see “As Amtrak […]
Department of Justice in talks with California to settle suit over funds withheld from high speed rail project The U.S. Department of Justice is in talks with California to settle a lawsuit resulting from the Trump administration’s cancellation of a $929 million grant for the state’s high speed rail project. Reuters reports the Justice Department […]
Boxcars assigned to less-than-carload (LCL) service — including several Southern Pacific “Overnight” boxcars — are being loaded on parallel tracks at Pacific Electric’s 8th Street Freight Station in Los Angeles in the 1940s. PE was an SP subsidiary. Pacific Electric […]
Landowners sue SMART, saying use of right-of-way for trail is illegal Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit is being sued by a group of landowners over the commuter railroad’s use of its right-of-way to build a trackside bike and pedestrian trail. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports that the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in San […]
California agencies set online ‘Corridor Conversations’ event about passenger rail service The agency that manages Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner service is hosting a free public online event, “Corridor Conversations,” featuring presentations from and a roundtable discussion by leadership of California’s three state-supported intercity passenger rail corridors. Participants will include Donna DeMartino, managing director of the host […]
