‘Cameron Christmas Train’ to visit Ohio, Indiana, Michigan

Logo of Cameron Christmas Train

ANGOLA, Ind. — A three-day holiday train operation in northeast Indiana, southeastern Michigan, and western Ohio has been announced for next Monday through Wednesday. The Cameron Christmas Train, sponsored by Cameron Hospital, will be operated by the Indiana Northeastern Railroad, Little River Railroad, and Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society Nov. 18-20. “As the region’s healthcare […]

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Schneider to launch intermodal service over new CPKC-CSX shortcut

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Schneider will launch intermodal service next month linking the Southeast with Texas and Mexico via CSX and Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s new Meridian & Bigbee corridor. The first interline trains over the new route are scheduled to roll on Dec. 1, CSX officials have said. “This represents a major leap forward […]

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News photos: Fallen ‘Star’

Passenger train with blue locomotive and heritage Amtrak locomotive passing next to signal bridge

While Amtrak marked the launch on Sunday of its new but temporary Floridian service between Chicago and Florida, via Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., the debut of one train meant the end — at least for a similar undefined period — of another. Amtrak’s New York-Miami Silver Star made its final runs on Sunday, part of […]

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TWU puts strike against SEPTA on hold, but second union votes to authorize strike

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority logo

PHILADELPHIA — A potential strike against the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has been placed on hold by Transit Workers Union local 234 after the two sides reported progress at the bargaining table before a midnight Thursday/Friday strike deadline. “We’re willing to go the extra mile and grant additional time to reach a fair agreement,” Local […]

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The Trains Interview: MTA Chief of Rolling Stock Tim Mulligan

New York subway train on elevated track at sunset

NEW YORK — Trains News Wire spoke with Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chief of Rolling Stock Tim Mulligan to discuss the agency’s robust, once-in-a-generation capital plan that involves replacing 2,000 subway cars and modernizing fleets across the agency. MTA’s five-year 2025-2029 capital plan totals $68 billion in investment, including $10.9 billion for modernized rolling stock. Mulligan […]

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Railroads ask federal courts to order FRA to take action on waylaid safety waivers

WASHINGTON – BNSF Railway, CSX, and Union Pacific filed lawsuits against the Federal Railroad Administration today for its failure to act on a half dozen safety waiver requests that in some cases would allow railroads to scale back visual inspections in areas where they have deployed new high-tech train and track inspection systems. The litigation […]

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Tree branch that penetrated windshield killed NJ Transit light rail operator: NTSB (corrected)

Aerial view of scene of fatal NJ Transit light rail accident

WASHINGTON — A tree branch that penetrated the cab windshield struck and killed the operator of a train on NJ Transit’s light rail River Line on Oct. 14, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary investigation report released today. The incident occurred at about 6:02 a.m. when the southbound diesel-powered light rail vehicle […]

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NJ Transit ‘customer advocate’ outlines vision, roadmap for the agency

Train arrives at station as passengers wait

NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit’s Franck Beaumin is rolling out four areas of focus in his roadmap as the agency’s new customer advocate. The statewide rail and bus operator, the third-largest U.S. transit agency, named Beaumin to the role of customer advocate in October, ending more than four years with the position vacant [see “NJ […]

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NTSB releases preliminary report on incident when MARTA train struck maintenance employee

Track diagram of rapid-transit accident scene

WASHINGTON — A maintenance worker for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority suffered a below-the-knee amputation after being struck by a MARTA train in an Oct. 19, 2024, incident, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary investigation report released on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The incident occurred about 11:14 a.m. in a tunnel between […]

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How railroads identify buffer service cars

Color photo of HO scale covered hopper painted gray with black graphics.

Q: Although I’m an N scale modeler, I read the review of the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy HO scale buffer car on Trains.com. Reading the description brought up a question. Do railroads designate cars to dedicated buffer service? If so, how are these cars identified as used in buffer service only? — Perry A. Pollino […]

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Chicago’s CTA returns rail service to pre-pandemic level

Elevated train with fall foliage and city skyline in background

CHICAGO — The Chicago Transit Authority has returned to pre-pandemic levels of rail service, with a 20% increase in weekly train trips, the agency said on Monday, Nov. 4. The change means more than 1,200 additional rail trips per week compared to the spring 2024 schedule, according to the CTA, and covers all eight rail […]

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Amtrak’s Winter Park Express ski train expands dates, route

Passenger train in snow with people waiting to board

DENVER — Following several years of growing ridership and sold-out trains on many weekends, this ski season’s version of Amtrak’s Winter Park Express will advance its previous January debut into December, and then will operate five days per week beginning Jan. 9. The train will operate Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on Dec. 20-22, Dec. 27-29, […]

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