Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
May 23, 2022
MBTA Orange Line Update
Following nearly four days of investigations and inspections, new six-car MBTA Orange Line trains were returned to passenger service this morning.
May 20, 2022
RBMN Receives First Frac Sand Unit Train
Reading & Northern took delivery of its first Unit Train of Frac Sand around 10:30 am on Sunday, May 15, 2022. Norfolk Southern Railroad delivered the train to Reading & Northern’s North Reading Yard where R&N crews were on hand to receive the train and immediately take it to R&N’s Sand Storage facility in Pittston, PA.
May 20, 2022
Washington Metro on Schedule to Restore 7000-series Railcars in Late Summer
This week, Metro installed the first automated inspection system to test wheelsets of the 7000-series railcars in real-time. The schedule to restore the fleet to passenger service later this summer remains on time.
May 20, 2022
MTA Pandemic-Era Subway, Metro-North, and Long Island Rail Road Daily Ridership Records Set This Week
Metropolitan Transportation Authority today announced that subway ridership on Wednesday topped 3.6 million, breaking a previous record set just the day before on May 17, of 3.535 million. Additionally, on Tuesday, May 17, pandemic-era ridership records were set on both the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad with Long Island Rail Road recording 182,700 rides, and Metro-North recording 162,100 rides. Each of these figures surpass pandemic-era records set in the past several weeks, and are the highest totals since March 2020. The subway system exceeded the record set on May 5 by approximately 90,000 rides, LIRR exceeded the record set on May 11 by over 4,000 rides and Metro-North exceeded the record set on May 10 by over 3,000 rides. This record day of ridership comes after New York City Transit setting a pandemic-era record for workweek trips with nearly 24 million rides between Monday, May 9 and Friday, May 13.
May 20, 2022
Amtrak’s New York Penn Station Will Showcase Art in June
Amtrak today announced Art at Amtrak, a year-round public art initiative that will bring a variety of visual works to New York Penn Station (NYP)and provide an unparalleled creative platform for New York and New Jersey artists. Building upon the highly successful public art program at Moynihan Train Hall, the rotating temporary installations commissioned for Art at Amtrakwillfurther enliven the hub that serves as the front door to New York City.
May 19, 2022
Rail Traffic for the Week Ending May 14, 2022
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 14, 2022. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 505,120 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.4 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending May 14 were 230,128 carloads, down 5.2 percent compared with the same week in 2021, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 274,992 containers and trailers, down 5.5 percent compared to 2021.
May 19, 2022
CapeFlyer Returns This Summer
Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis), the MBTA’s commuter rail operating partner, announced that the CapeFLYER will return starting Memorial Day weekend for its 10th summer of service between Boston’s South Station and Cape Cod. Offering roundtrip service, trains will operate Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through Labor Day. The CapeFLYER is a unique partnership between Keolis, the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA), the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to improve access to Cape Cod for residents and visitors.
May 18, 2022
SEPTA Releases Options For Future Of Regional Rail
SEPTA released three potential options for a long-term vision for Regional Rail. This marks phase two of Reimagining Regional Rail – SEPTA’s project to make its rail system more useful for more people. Reimagining Regional Rail is a key initiative of SEPTA Forward, the Authority’s Strategic Plan, to create a “lifestyle transit network” of all-day, all-week frequent service to destinations across the region.
May 17, 2022
Lapse in Metrorail Operator Recertification Results in Changes to Certain Trains
Metro’s Chief Safety Officer reports that nearly half of Metro’s 500 rail operators have lapsed recertification, which includes classroom instruction, and supervised testing in the rail yards as well as on the mainline.
May 17, 2022
Federal Railroad Administration Publishes Quarterly Report on the Performance and Service Quality of Amtrak Intercity Passenger Rail Operations
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today published a report on performance metrics for Amtrak’s intercity passenger train operations, covering the first quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. This report is the first to use all metrics described in FRA’s November 2020 final rule for Metrics and Minimum Standards for Intercity Passenger Rail Service now codified in 49 CFR Part 273. The Metrics and Standards Rule establishes minimum standards for measuring the performance and service quality of intercity passenger train operations across four categories: on-time performance and train delays, customer service, financial performance, and public benefits.
