Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
January 13, 2022
Rio Tinto Orders Wabtec FLXdrive Battery Locomotives to Reduce Emissions
Wabtec Corporation and Rio Tinto announced an order for four FLXdrive battery-electric locomotives to support sustainable operations of the mining company’s rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The 100-percent, battery-powered locomotive will help Rio Tinto’s effort to achieve a 50-percent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2030.
January 13, 2022
Amtrak Opens Full Service Bar at Metropolitan Lounge in Moynihan Train Hall
Amtrak customers can now enjoy bar service at Amtrak’s premium Metropolitan Lounge in the Moynihan Train Hall in New York City. The bar menu offers beer, wine, cocktails, and hot food offerings available for purchase between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
January 12, 2022
Rail Traffic for the Week Ending January 8, 2022
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending January 8, 2022. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 440,761 carloads and intermodal units, down 16 percent compared with the same week last year.
January 12, 2022
Amtrak Unveils Locomotive to Honor 50th Anniversary of Operation Lifesaver
A specially-painted Amtrak P-42 diesel locomotive, emblazoned on both sides with the message, “See Tracks? Think Train!” was released into service today during a special ceremony at Washington Union Station. The black-and-yellow locomotive commemorates the 50th anniversary of Operation Lifesaver, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing railroad safety education and awareness nationwide.
January 11, 2022
Reading & Northern Reports Record Freight and Passenger Growth
Reading & Northern Railroad (R&N), Pennsylvania’s largest privately-owned railroad, once again broke its own records for freight revenue, freight traffic and excursion passenger ridership. Freight revenues rose an impressive 10 percent over both 2020 and pre-pandemic 2019 levels fueled by increased traffic and a shift in traffic mix to higher revenue moves. RBMN also earned significant ancillary revenues related to its warehouse and transloading business.
January 7, 2022
MTA Retires 1960s-Era Subway Cars With Final Runs on Sunday, January 9
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that after 58 years of service, the R-32s nicknamed the Brightliners – among the oldest subway cars currently operational in the world – will retire from service. To commemorate the historic occasion, New York City Transit (NYCT) will run one R-32 train for a ceremonial last ride on Sunday, Jan. 9.
January 6, 2022
Norfolk Southern and the Ludlow Heritage Museum to preserve historic Ludlow Yard Store House
Norfolk Southern, and the Ludlow Heritage Museum have signed a property lease agreement to preserve the Norfolk Southern-owned Ludlow Yard Store House building. The agreement allows museum officials to renovate the building and repurpose it into its new headquarters.
January 6, 2022
Governor Hochul Announces Plans to Move Forward With Major New Expansion of Transit Service in Brooklyn and Queens:
New York Governor Kathy Hochul today announced plans to move forward with the Interborough Express as part of her 2022 State of the State. Governor Hochul is directing the MTA to immediately begin the environmental review process for this transformative project, the first step in building this major infrastructure investment that would connect communities in Brooklyn and Queens to as many as 17 subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road.
January 6, 2022
Amtrak Pledges Support For CP-KCS Combination
Amtrak and Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP)today announced an agreement with Amtrak supporting the proposed combination of CP and Kansas City Southern (KCS) railways.
January 5, 2022
Test Track and Vehicle Testing Facility to Be Used for New Red Line Cars
When hundreds of new Red Line cars are shipped from Springfield to Boston, they will be commissioned using the recently completed $22 million Red Line Test Track and Vehicle Testing Facility, built as part of the Red Line Transformation Program.
