On a July 1996 evening in New York City, Metro-North P32ACDM 202 wheels through Spuyten Duyvil with a northbound diesel-powered Hudson Line train, passing a now-retired 1100-series M.U. that has just departed the station. Matt Van Hattem MTA Metro-North Railroad provides commuter service on five routes covering 412 miles, serving 120 stations. Metro-North is the […]
The Long Island Rail Road replaced its vintage – and worn out – diesel fleet with new locomotives from GM (both straight diesel and dual-mode diesel-electrics) and bilevel coaches. DE30 401, a regular diesel (the dual-modes are class DM30), hauls a string of new coaches through Lynbrook, N.Y., on the Babylon Branch at 12:35 p.m., […]
New York, Susquehanna & Western RDC M-5 arrives at the Armory Square station in downtown Syracuse, N.Y., with an OnTrack City Express shuttle on June 28, 1995. John Godfrey OnTrack City Express is a 3.5-mile rail shuttle serving Syracuse, N.Y., linking the Carousel Mall, Armory Square (downtown), Syracuse University, and Colvin Street (a flag stop). […]
A Trinity Rail Express commuter train, operating with two self-propelled Rail Diesel Cars, makes a station stop at South Irving, Texas. Dallas Area Rapid Transit Trinity Railway Express provides passenger rail service between the Texas Metroplex cities of Dallas and Fort Worth. The 34-mile route serves 9 stations, and is anchored at each end by […]
Sandra Grausso and her pal Eeyore take some time to enjoy the scenery from a Viewliner standard bedroom on the Lake Shore Limited, during her move from Los Angeles to New York. Bob Johnston Sandra Grausso, a music business professional, was relocating from Los Angeles to New York. She had just spent two nights on […]
AMT F59PHI 1325 coasts through the Montreal West, Quebec, station with a train from Blainville bound for Windsor Station in downtown Montreal on November 24, 2000. John Godfrey AMT, an acronym for Agence Métropolitaine de Transport (Metropolitan Transportation Agency), coordinates Montreal’s commuter rail service, a 112-mile system comprised of five lines and 45 stations. The […]
Passenger service on the 200-mile MARC system is distinguished by the need to serve commuters working in two different metropolitan areas. Rush-hour trains operate both ways on two separate routes between Baltimore and Washington: Amtrak’s electrified Northeast Corridor via New Carrollton (the Penn Line), and CSX’s Capital Subdivision via Jessup and College Park (the Camden […]
Scenic highlight of a ride on the Panama Canal Railway is the Montelino Causeway across Gatun Lake. Bob Johnston The Panama Canal Railway Company is like a steel chameleon. It runs a successful passenger operation serving different types of travelers. Then, with the issuance of a simple track warrant, the railroad changes in an instant […]
Coupled to the front of the Pretoria-Cape Town Trans Karoo are three Premier Classe cars – a new service providing comfortable accommodations at a reasonable price. The Trans Karoo is seen pulling into Hermon. Karl Zimmermann Luxurious cruise trains often turn up on public television specials, as do trips to such remote places as Mexico’s […]
Two SEPTA MU trainsets are seen laying over between runs near Powelton yard, just west of 30th Street Station Philadelphia, on March 4, 2000. Matt Van Hattem SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, operates a network of commuter trains, buses, trolleys, subways, and trackless trolleys that serve Philadelphia and surrounding areas. SEPTA’s commuter rail service […]
Altamont Commuter Express train 06 has just left San Jose, Calif., on its late-evening run to Stockton on April 23, 2001. Elrond Lawrence Altamont Commuter Express trains operate on an 82-mile route between Stockton and San Jose, Calif., through the San Joaquin, Central, and Silicon Valleys. ACE trains use a combination of Caltrain and Union […]
Twenty minutes out of Portland, Downeaster train 682 crosses Scarborough Marsh. Bob Johnston The return of passenger rail service to Maine was a story 13 years in the making, as Bob Johnston explained in the June 2002 issue of TRAINS Magazine. The passenger corridor, which launched in December 2001, could be a model for future […]
