CN acquisition of CSX Massena Line remains in limbo

Canadian National’s proposed acquisition of CSX Transportation’s Massena Line linking the Syracuse, N.Y., area with Montreal remains in limbo, two weeks after the Surface Transportation Board refused to reconsider a condition it placed on the deal. The railroads have declined to comment and they have not updated U.S. regulators. The railroads previously said they would […]

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Heritage rail digest: Colebrookdale Railroad to offer ‘sensory friendly’ ride

Colebrookdale Railroad Logo

Colebrookdale Railroad to host ride for those with autism, other sensory sensitivities The Colebrookdale Railroad in Boyerstown, Pa., will host a “Sensory Friendly Saturday” train ride, specifically designed for those with autism or other sensory sensitivities, on March 27. The Sanatoga Post reports the event planned by the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust. Features will include […]

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Long Island Railroad, blasted for crowded trains, to rescind schedule cuts

Long Island Rail Road train arrives at crowded station platform

NEW YORK — The Long Island Rail Road will rescind the schedule changes it introduced on Monday, restoring the previous schedule on March 29. “We heard our customers’ concerns about our new schedule loud and clear,” LIRR President Phil Eng said in a statement issued Tuesday. “As a result, we will restore our previous timetable […]

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Digest: Delays add $300 million to cost of Gateway project

Amtrak train coming out of tunnel

Delays in start of Gateway project push cost to $11.6 billion Ongoing delays in beginning the Gateway tunnel project on the Northeast Corridor have pushed the estimated cost of tunnels under the Hudson river to $11.6 billion, a $300 million increase over the previous estimate. NJ.com reports Frank Sacr, interim executive director of the Gateway […]

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Amtrak revives Northeast Corridor sleeping cars

Attendant on platform outside train at night in snow

WASHINGTON — Passengers opting to take the train between Boston and Washington, D.C., will have a long-overdue alternative to the 7-hour daytime journey aboard Acela, Amtrak’s fastest train. Overnight northbound train No. 66 and southbound No. 67 (No. 65 on Friday and Saturday nights) are scheduled at 9 to 10 hours depending on the direction […]

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Digest: Amtrak adding sleeping-car service on Northeast Corridor

Amtrak logo

Amtrak to offer sleeping cars on Northeast Regional trains beginning April 5 Amtrak will return sleeping-car service to the Northeast Corridor beginning April 5, with sleepers added to one overnight Northeast Regional train in each direction. Northbound, train No. 66 will depart Washington Union Station at 10 p.m., arriving in New York at 1:55 a.m. […]

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News Photo: First CDOT P40 rebuild debuts

New CDOT P40 locomotive

The first of 12 Connecticut Department of Transportation P40 locomotives to be rebuilt by Amtrak at Beech Grove, Ind., is CDOT No. 6711, seen at North Haven, Conn., on March 8, 2021. The unit was built as Amtrak no. 820 in 1993, and later worked for NJ Transit in Atlantic City service, carrying NJT no. 4803. CDOT […]

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All-female steam crew to help Strasburg Rail Road mark International Women’s Day

Two women railroaders pose near the pilot of a steam locomotive.

RONKS, Pa. — Strasburg Rail Road’s first-ever all-female steam engine crew will run all trips for the Pennsylvania tourist line this Saturday, March 6. The assignment coincides with International Women’s Day (March 8) and Women’s History Month. In the cab will be Andrea Biesecker as engineer and Shelley Hall as fireman. They will run the […]

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Rail infrastructure gets best mark in Civil Engineers’ report card

Two Amtrak Acela trains under catenary wire on a multi-track mainline.

It is both the best of times and worst of times for transportation infrastructure in the United States, according to the just-released 2021 report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers. Rail infrastructure, which for the ASCE’s report includes Class I, II, and III railroads, and Amtrak, gets a B. That’s the best grade […]

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Pan Am Southern employment to fall in CSX acquisition of Pan Am Railways

CSX logo

WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways will have a significant impact on employment levels at Pan Am Southern, the joint venture it will share with Norfolk Southern. Genesee & Wyoming, which has been designated the neutral operator of Pan Am Southern, estimates that it can run the railroad […]

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Digest: Assessment for Howard Street Tunnel sees environmental gains, increased port traffic

CSX logo

Additional Thursday morning rail news: Environmental assessment released for Baltimore’s Howard Street Tunnel project The environmental assessment for Baltimore’s Howard Street Tunnel project says the work to rebuild the CSX Transportation tunnel to handle double-stack intermodal traffic would decrease emissions and fuel usage by moving traffic to and from the Port of Baltimore from road […]

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Digest: Deputy DOT secretary nominee tells hearing she’ll work to advance Gateway project

DOT nominee Trottenberg says she’ll work to advance Gateway project The nominee for the No. 2 position at the U.S. Department of Transportation told a confirmation hearing that she would work to make the Northeast Corridor’s Gateway Tunnel project a priority if she is confirmed. Bloomberg reports Deputy Secretary of Transportation nominee Polly Trottenberg, formerly […]

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