Amtrak cuts Northeast service in advance of winter storm

Passenger train in snow

WASHINGTON — With a major winter storm predicted, Amtrak has cancelled all service on Saturday, Jan. 29, between New York and Boston, as well as all New Haven-Springfield, Mass., shuttles and the Vermonter. Forecasts call for up to 2 feet of snowfall for the Boston area and lesser but uncertain amounts further south through Rhode […]

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MBTA to shift money from operating to capital budget

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority logo

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority board of directors has approved a staff plan for a one-time transfer of $500 million from its operating budget to its capital budget for projects including a collision-avoidance system on the rapid transit Green Line and Automatic Train Control on the MBTA commuter rail system. CommonWealth Magazine reports […]

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Maryland board approves $3.4 billion contract to finish Purple Line

Purple and white light rail trainset parked on curve

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland’s Board of Public Works has approved the $3.4 billion contract to complete the troubled Purple Line light rail project, allowing construction on the 16-mile line to resume this spring. The Washington Post reports the $3.4 billion figure includes $1.1 billion in work that has already been completed, as well as the […]

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Rebuilt Reading & Northern 4-8-4 to debut on freight trains

Three-quarters view of steam locomotive in shop building

PORT CLINTON, Pa. — Reading & Northern 4-8-4 No. 2102 will mark its return to service following a six-year, $1.45 million rebuild by pulling freight, according to railroad owner and CEO Andrew M. Muller Jr. Muller told Trains News Wire that he expects the engine to break in on R&N freight trains in mid-March. Four […]

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Company offers plan for Rockland-Brunswick, Maine, passenger service

Passenger train with F unit crosses bridge

ROCKLAND, Maine — New York’s Finger Lakes Railway has proposed offering daily passenger train service between Rockland and Brunswick, Maine, to provide a connection to Amtrak’s Downeaster. The Courier-Gazette of Camden, Maine, reports the company made the proposal at a Monday meeting of the Northern New England Rail Passenger Authority, which oversees Downeaster operations. The […]

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Politicians call for subway platform gates after fatal New York crimes

Barricades along edge of subway platform, with train in station

NEW YORK — Responding to an upswing in subway crime — including incidents, some fatal, in which people have been shoved off platforms onto the tracks in front of oncoming trains — New York City politicians are calling for the introduction of platform gates to keep passengers from falling onto the right-of-way. Such gates are […]

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Former New York tourist route goes to auction

Blue, gray, and yellow semi-streamlined diesels

NORTH CREEK, N.Y. — A 30-mile stretch of track last operated by the defunct Saratoga & North Creek will be auctioned off as part of bankruptcy proceedings, opening the possibility of its return to operation. The Albany Times-Union reports an initial bid of $700,000 has already been received from Revolution Rail, which has operated a […]

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Seeking the pricing-capacity ‘sweet spot’ on two Florida trains: Analysis

Passenger train with blue and silver locomotive at dusk

ORLANDO, Fla. — Travelers planning to take Amtrak between Washington, D.C., and Florida now have two choices: The Miami-New York Silver Star, which also serves Tampa and Orlando, and Auto Train, operating from Sanford, Fla. (near Orlando), and Lorton, Va., just south of the Nation’s Capital. A third choice, the Miami-New York Silver Meteor, has been […]

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Additional CTrail trains, buses to offset some Amtrak service cuts

Black and red locomotive leads short passenger train

NEWINGTON, Conn. — Connecticut will add additional CTrail trains on the Hartford line as of today (Monday, Jan. 24) to offset the loss of service resulting from Amtrak cuts, while other Amtrak trains will be replaced by bus service, the state Department of Transportation announced. Amtrak announced cuts to its Springfield Shuttle and other service […]

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RDC excursion set on Reading & Northern (corrected)

Stainless steel railcar at ornate station

PORT CLINTON, Pa. — Railroad Historians of the Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society are sponsoring a branchline excursion using Reading & Northern’s Budd RDCs on Saturday, April 23. The fundraising trip will cover Reading & Northern’s main line and branches, which include trackage from the Reading, Jersey […]

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Maintenance error suspected in fatal MBTA crossing-gate accident

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority logo

WILMINGTON, Mass. — An error by a signal contractor apparently led to a fatal accident in which a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority train struck a vehicle, killing its driver, on Friday. The Boston Globe reports that MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said in a statement that “human error” is the focus of the investigation by […]

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Connecticut governor, Amtrak CEO meet to discuss rail projects

Man speaking at podium with others standing behind

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and state Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giuletti met with Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner on Friday in New Haven to discuss rail infrastructure projects within the state, the governor’s office said in a press release, with the governor emphasizing the need to invest now to bring faster trains to […]

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