Trains added to CTrail Hartford Line, Shore Line East schedules

CTrail_Wallingford_Lassen

NEWINGTON, Conn. — As of today (Monday, July 26), the Connecticut Department of Transportation is adding service on its CTrail Hartford Line and Shore Line East rail services. Seven round trips are being restored on the Hartford Line after being eliminated in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between Amtrak and CTrail service, there […]

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Reading & Northern acquires 11 ex-San Luis & Rio Grande cars

Train with steam locomotive approaches through rock cut

PORT CLINTON, Pa. — The Reading & Northern Railroad has purchased 11 passenger cars from the fleet formerly owned by the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad, the Colorado operation of bankrupt Iowa Pacific Holdings. Among the cars bought at auction are several notables, including the former Southern Railway steam program open-air coach Lookout Mountain […]

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Amtrak, regional agency agree on study of Scranton-NYC service

Map showing possible new Amtrak routes

SCRANTON, Pa. — Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority have reached agreement on a study to assess a potential route between Scranton and New York City. The Pocono Record reports Amtrak will look at the route’s infrastructure and estimate possible ridership and revenue, with the authority covering the $400,000 cost of the study. […]

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Influential congressman opposes CSX acquisition of Pan Am Railways

Congressman in dark suit in front of U.S. flag

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, has told federal regulators that he opposes CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways. “Considering the repercussions that would result from CSX Transportation’s purchase of Pan Am Railways and its impact on my district, along with my […]

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Norfolk Southern to close Cresson, Pa., engine house

Norfolk Southern logo

CRESSON, Pa. — Norfolk Southern will close its engine house in Cresson, Pa., eliminating seven jobs, the Altoona Mirror reports. The closure will come at the end of July. A Norfolk Southern spokesman told the newspaper in an email that the move “is part of our long-term business plans to evolve our operations to best […]

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La Guardia AirTrain project gets FAA approval

Map showing La Guardia AirTrain and connections

NEW YORK — After a recent pause to consider objections from environmentalists, residents, and legislators, the Federal Aviation Administration has approved La Guardia Airport’s  Air Train project. The New York Times reports the approval means preliminary work could begin later this summer for the construction of the 1.5-mile line connecting the airport to subway and […]

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Grant to provide $3.4 million to support Alstom expansion in Upstate New York

Alstom logo

HORNELL, N.Y. — A $3.4 million federal grant will help support the planned expansion of Alstom’s rail equipment manufacturing facility in Hornell. The Hornell Evening Tribune reports the U.S. Economic Development Agency is awarding the grant to the Hornell Industrial Development Agency for infrastructure work at the Shawmut Industrial Park, where Alstom is planning a […]

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First car arrives for Buffalo’s Flour-By-Rail Legacy Project

Rusted boxcar with grain silos in background

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The first railcar for the Flour-By-Rail Legacy Project in Buffalo’s Silo City neighborhood has arrived and is now on display. Buffalo Creek No. 3424, a 40-foot car built by the Pullman Co. in 1952, arrived at the project site on July 15 and has now been placed on its trucks on a […]

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Report says MTA significantly overestimated costs of restoring LIRR branch to operation

Tress growing through railroad tracks

QUEENS, N.Y. — A new report suggests an engineering study released by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority significantly inflated the cost of restoring service on the Long Island Rail Road’s former Rockaway Beach Branch, abandoned in 1962 because of low ridership. The Transportation Economics and Management Systems Inc., or TEMS, report was commissioned by the group […]

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Train-watching platform opens in Fairport, N.Y.

Railfan viewing platform with Amtrak train passing in background

FAIRPORT, N.Y. —  A new train-watching platform has opened in this historic village east of Rochester in Upstate New York. Located at the junction of the CSX Rochester and West Shore Subdivisions, the three-track line sees 40-plus trains a day on the route linking the Midwest with the New England and the New York Metro […]

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BNSF restricts flow of containers from LA and Long Beach to Chicago

Container train passing under bridge

  FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway is limiting the flow of international containers from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to its Logistics Park Chicago intermodal terminal for two weeks to work off a backlog of boxes that have built up in the Windy City. “BNSF is metering traffic from the West Coast […]

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Pennsylvania steam excursion demonstrates support for engineer

Two men in front of steam locomotive

MINERSVILLE, Pa. — An excursion to raise funds for an engineer who has been a key part of the volunteer restoration of a former Central of New Jersey 0-6-0 has raised $12,000 to help with his medical expenses. Since 2012, when the all-volunteer non-profit Railway Restoration Project 113 of Minersville, Pa., began running its former […]

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