News photo: Saratoga Corinth & Hudson adds an Alco

Vintage black and yellow diesel next to current CPKC unit

CORINTH, N.Y. — The Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway, the heritage railway located on the former Delaware & Hudson Adirondack Branch, has added a third Alco RS3 with the arrival this week of No. 4085, a former D&H diesel long stored in Port Jervis, N.Y. The Delaware & Hudson Railway Historical Society announced the acquisition […]

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Report calls for better efforts to prevent ‘self-evacuation’ by New York City subway passengers

Derailed subway train in tunnel

NEW YORK — Subway crews and New York City Transit need to better communicate with passengers to address instances of risky “self-evacuation” by passengers during delays, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Inspector General Daniel Cort said in a report issued on Thursday (May 1, 2025). An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General found 46 […]

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Former Amtrak IT official, two others indicted on bribery charges (updated)

U.S. Department of Justice seal

PHILADELPHIA — A former Amtrak information technology official and two vendors have been indicted in a bribery case involving millions of dollars of Amtrak IT work. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Richard Thompson, 47, of Falls Church, Va., was Amtrak’s former director of network planning and engineering. He […]

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Woodstown Central steam locomotive sidelined (updated)

Black and gray steam locomotive with large smoke plume running in woods.

WOODSTOWN, N.J. — Woodstown Central Railroad steam locomotive No. 9, an Alco 0-6-0, suffered an overheated journal on its central axle during the 12 p.m. excursion on April 18. The railroad’s mechanical team determined the damage was beyond in-house repair capabilities at its South Woodstown, N.J., shop. The wheelset has been removed for repairs at […]

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Contractor pleads guilty in bribery case stemming from renovation of Philadelphia Amtrak station

Aerial view of large railroad station next to river

PHILADELPHIA — The owner of an Indiana masonry contractor has pleaded guilty to two federal charges in connection with a bribery case involving renovations at Amtrak’s 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Mark Snedden, 69, of Munster, Ind., on Wednesday (April 30) entered a plea of guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and making […]

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Amtrak president says current plan for East River Tunnel is best approach (updated)

Interior of railroad tunnel

WASHINGTON — Responding to criticism on a number of fronts, Amtrak President Roger Harris said the company’s plan for repairs to New York’s East River Tunnel is “the safest, most efficient, reliable, and timely to complete the full rehabilitation … making it the best use of taxpayer investments.” Harris, in a three-page letter dated May […]

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New terminal serves New York City construction projects

Drone view of terminal for fly ash distribution in New York City

LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y. — A new terminal to bring low-carbon cement alternatives to the New York City area, to be served by the New York & Atlantic Railroad, has opened in Queens, N.Y. The Blissville Rail Terminal, to be operated by Precision Terminal Logistics, celebrated its grand opening Tuesday, April 29. It will allow […]

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NJ Transit releases contingency plan for possible rail strike

Commuter trains on two tracks of three-track line at station

NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit is urging customers to work from home if possible and limit travel on its system to “essential purposes only” in the event of a strike by locomotive engineers, which could come as soon as Friday, May 16. The transit agency today (April 30) released a contingency plan for a potential […]

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Massachusetts legislators investigating South Coast Rail issues

Purple and black locomotive at station platform

BOSTON — A Massachusetts Senate committee has announced an investigation into the early operating issues on the South Coast Rail project that opened last month, saying responses to date “lacked specific assurances to riders and the public at large.” The Bedford (Mass.) Standard-Times reports that Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford), chair of the Senate Committee […]

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Pennsylvania legislators to propose new funding for transit

Four-car electric multiple-unit trainset

HARRISBURG, Pa. — With transit agencies in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh both warning of catastrophic service cuts without additional state funding, two Pennsylvania state senators have announced plans for legislation to help fund transit statewide. State Sens. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia) and Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny) are proposing creating funding from three sources: — A 6% excise fee […]

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Cumberland & Knox is new name for Maine Switching’s Rockland Branch

Red locomotive switching at industrial site

BRUNSWICK, Maine — Maine Switching Services on Monday (April 28) finalized a lease agreement with Maine’s Department of Transportation that will allow freight operations to resume on the 56.6-mile, state-owned former Maine Central branch between Brunswick and Rockland, Me. The operating entity will be known as the Cumberland & Knox Railroad (CKRR), named for the […]

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News photo: Carload Express takes over Maryland & Delaware

Maroon end-cab switcher with hopper cars

FEDERALSBURG, Md. — Shortline company Carload Express has officially assumed control of the Maryland & Delaware Railroad, a move approved by the Surface Transportation Board earlier this year. The transaction — approved by the STB in a decision announced Jan. 2 — became official on April 23. The railroad’s rebuilt Alco RS3m locomotives have been […]

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