Metra says some lines will be halted by freight rail strike

Commuter trains meet on curve

CHICAGO —Metra expects it will be unable to operate on at least some of its 11 Chicago-area commuter rail lines in the event of a work stoppage on Class I freight rail lines, the agency said in a statement today (Tuesday, Sept. 13). Commuter operators elsewhere are also beginning to assess their situations in light […]

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Vermont Rail System updates its paint scheme

Freshly painted red and white locomotive

BURLINGTON, Vt. – Vermont Rail System, operator of five railroads in Vermont and New York, is rolling out freshly painted locomotives in its new image. But you will need to look closely to notice the minor change being introduced as the company paints power for the first time in a decade. The repaints will carry the […]

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Life of a railroad tower operator

Wooden interlocking tower along two track rail line where railroad tower operator works

I was working as a relief railroad tower operator on the Lehigh Valley in the late steam era. It was a beautiful late-summer evening when I left an Athens, Pa., diner and began walking along North Main Street. It was quiet as there was little traffic on this main artery that connected the Wilkes-Barre area, […]

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Orange Line work two-thirds complete, should be done on time

Subway train at nearly empty station

BOSTON — Work on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Orange Line, shut down since Aug. 19 to allow for major repairs, is two-thirds complete, General Manager Steve Poftak said Friday, with the project set to be completed on schedule. “We have less than 10 days to go,” Poftak said, as reported by NBC Boston. “We […]

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Fast-food workers hoped signal tampering would lead to ‘slow night,’ police say

Security camera footage of railroad right-of-way showing man walking along tracks

TILDEN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Police have named a second person they say was involved in tampering with crossing gates on the Reading & Northern in August — and say the motivation was to create an easier night at the fast-food restaurant where they both worked. Ryan Boria, 34, of Tilden Township was arrested earlier this […]

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Babcock named as Livonia, Avon & Lakeville CEO

Man standing in front of locomotive

LAKEVILLE, N.Y. — Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroads, which operates three lines in western New York and Pennsylvania, has named Robert Babcock as its president and CEO, effective Sept. 26, 2022. Babcock was most recently general manager, vice president, and senior vice president at the Indiana Rail Road, where he was responsible for train operations, […]

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New York ends transportation mask requirement

Yellow and black MTA sign notifying passengers masks are optional

NEW YORK — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has lifted the state’s mask requirement in a number of locations where masks were previously required, including public transportation, where it was one of the few such requirements remaining in the country. Hochul announced the change in a Wednesday update on COVID-19 cases in the state. Masks […]

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Buses to replace trains on Metro-North’s Port Jervis Line beginning Sept. 11

Map showing route of Metro-North Port Jervis Line

NEW YORK — Buses will substitute for commuter trains on the Metro-North Port Jervis line beginning Sunday, Sept. 11, at 4 a.m., allowing trackwork including replacement of 10,000 crossties and three switches, as well as track welding work. The bus substitutions will continue for more than two months, through Nov. 13. Buses will operate to […]

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Vintage New York subway equipment set for Parade of Trains

Lineup of vintage subway equipment

NEW YORK — Equipment from New York Transit Museum’s collection of vintage subway cars will be operation Sept. 17-18 at the Brighton Beach station in Brooklyn as part of the museum’s Parade of Trains, offering round-trip shuttle rides with a regular subway admission. The Parade of Trains will operate each day from 11 a.m. to […]

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Hudson tunnel timeline pushed back three years

Man speaking with microphone on a train.

NEW YORK — New Northeast Corridor tunnels connecting New Jersey to New York’s Penn Station will not be completed before 2035 — three years later than previously planned — and will cost at least $2 billion more than previously projected, the commission overseeing the project said last week. The New York Times reports that the […]

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Organizers, supporters make push for Montreal-Boston night train

Map showing proposed passenger route from Montreal to Boston via Sherbrooke, Quebec, and Old Orchard Beach, Maine

COATICOOK, Quebec — More than 60 political and business representatives from both sides of the Canada-U.S. border packed the former Coaticook railway station, now a craft brewery, this week to plead for a new night train between Montreal and Boston. Francois Pepin, a retired network planner with Montreal’s transit agency, Société de transport de Montréal […]

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Fast-food uniform helps identify suspect in signal-tampering case

Security camera footage of railroad right-of-way showing man walking along tracks

TILDEN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A man on his way to work at a fast-food restaurant has been charged with risking a catastrophe after allegedly tampering with a Reading & Northern railroad crossing signal, the Reading Eagle reports in a paywalled article. The article was also posted on the Tilden Township police Facebook page. Ryan M. […]

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