Chicago transit agencies scrap planned fare increases in wake of funding bill

Commuter train with cab car leading arrives at station

CHICAGO — The Regional Transportation Authority is scrapping plans for fare increases by Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and bus operator Pace in the wake of passage of Illinois legislation providing new funding for the transit operations. Given budget deficits and uncertainty over state funding, the RTA had required all three operating agencies to include […]

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SEPTA faces new federal order on trolley safety

White trolley car going uphill on street

WASHINGTON — Adding to the ongoing issues of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the Federal Transit Administration has issued an emergency order requiring inspection of the catenary system of SEPTA’s 40-mile trolley network by this Friday, FTA Administrator Marc Molinaro said at a news conference today (Nov. 4, 2025). The press conference by Transportation Secretary […]

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Norfolk Southern, Georgia Tech develop AI-powered wheel defect detector

ATLANTA — When a broken wheel caused a derailment on Norfolk Southern — just a mile after NS received the train through interchange — it prompted the railroad to begin tinkering with new ways to detect wheel defects. “We as a leadership team said there’s got to be a better way,” Chief Operating Officer John […]

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No injuries reported in Union Pacific derailment in Kansas

Tangle of derailed auto racks

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Approximately two dozen cars of a Union Pacific freight train derailed early Monday (Nov. 3) in Hutchinson, sending auto racks down an embankment and closing one lane of a state highway. The derailment occurred about 1 a.m. The Hays Post reports that the railroad said in a statement that there were no […]

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Amtrak San Joaquins renamed as Gold Runner

Passenger train stopped at station with bus waiting across platform

STOCKTON, Calif. — The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority has made official its rebrand of Amtrak’s San Joaquins as Gold Runner trains. The move came on Monday, Nov. 3, and was effective immediately. Trains.com had previously reported plans for the move as part of a report on other changes for San Joaquins and Capitol Corridor […]

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NTSB final report addresses July 2024 incident at NS Lambert’s Point Yard

Aerial view of yard with notations on accident that injured employee

WASHINGTON — A conductor’s attempt to apply a hand brake while standing in the track gauge, while using a retracted brake stick, was the probable cause of an accident that led to serious injuries to the conductor,  the National Transportation Safety Board said in its final investigation report on the July 2024 incident at Norfolk […]

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Keolis, IBEW reach tentative contract agreement

Elevated view of commuter train at large station

BOSTON — Keolis Commuter Services, the contract operator of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter trains, has reached a tentative contract agreement with electricians represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the parties announced late last week. Keolis has now reached agreements with all 14 unions involved in MBTA commuter rail, who represent more than […]

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Alabama & Gulf Coast donates boxcar for Operation Toy Train program

Train with black locomotive passing under giant U.S. flag suspended between between fire trucks

KENVIL, N.J. — The non-profit organization behind the annual Operation Toy Train project has announced the donation of a boxcar to support Toys for Tots collections in New Jersey, as well as the detailed 2025 schedule for Operation Toy Train. TOYX Inc. has received a boxcar from Genesee & Wyoming’s Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway, […]

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BLET reaches tentative national agreement with rail carriers group

Logo of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has reached a tentative five-year agreement with freight railroads represented by the National Carriers’ Conference Committee, the union has announced. The agreement will cover 11,000 BLET members at BNSF Railway, Norfolk Southern, Canadian National, and some smaller railroads. It follows the pattern agreed to by […]

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CPKC derailment sends cars into British Columbia lake

CPKC logo

Clean-up efforts underway following train derailment outside of Kamloops. ⬇️More below ⬇️https://t.co/HBGDaElIww — KamloopsNow (@KamloopsBCNow) November 2, 2025 KAMLOOPS, British Columbia — Work to contain a fuel spill is continuing after one locomotive and 17 cars of a CPKC freight train derailed Saturday west of Kamloops. British Columbia’s Ministry of Environment and Parks reports that […]

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NTSB issues final report on UP conductor fatality in Kenosha, Wis.

Diagram of scene of fatal accident involving Union Pacific conductor and Metra train in Kenosha, Wis.

WASHINGTON — The conductor of a Union Pacific train was standing in a track adjacent to his train for an unknown reason when he was struck and killed by a Metra train, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its final investigation report on the Sept. 4, 2024, accident in Kenosha, Wis. The incident occurred […]

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