Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
May 11, 2021
SEPTA Launches Estimated Seat Availability Dashboard
SEPTA today launched a new online tool to provide customers with information about seat availability on-board vehicles as they plan their trips.
May 10, 2021
Canadian Pacific Receives Voting Trust Approval from Surface Transportation Board, Advancing Agreement for CP-KCS Combination
Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (“CP”) thanks the Surface Transportation Board (“STB”) for its approval, on May 6, of a voting trust for its planned, friendly merger with Kansas City Southern (“KCS”).
May 10, 2021
Subway, Bus, LIRR, Metro-North Ridership Reaches New Pandemic Record
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that the New York City Subway, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad have reached pandemic ridership records, with 2,239,500 trips on the New York City Subway (including 3,823 on the Staten Island Railway), 101,600 LIRR, and 83,100 Metro-North trips recorded on Friday, May 7. New York City Buses reached a pandemic high one day earlier, on Thursday, May 6, of 1,245,629.
May 8, 2021
Allegheny Foundation Grant Aids EBT’s Return to Picnic Grove
The prestigious Allegheny Foundation, of Pittsburgh, has made a grant of $100,000 to support the East Broad Top Railroad’s rehabilitation of the Colgate Picnic Grove, the turnaround point for the EBT’s steam-powered trains since 1961.
May 6, 2021
Governor Northam Announces Agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway to Expand Passenger Rail to Southwest Virginia
Governor Ralph Northam today announced that the Commonwealth has reached an agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway to extend passenger rail service to the New River Valley for the first time since 1979. Known as the Western Rail Initiative, this agreement will increase intercity passenger rail service from Roanoke to the Northeast Corridor and is an expansion of the Transforming Rail in Virginia program to build a 21st-century rail network.
May 6, 2021
Steamtown’s Union Pacific Big Boy Returns to Static Exhibition
Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is pleased to announce that its Union Pacific Railroad “Big Boy” No. 4012 has returned to static exhibition in the park following an extended cosmetic restoration; just in time for National Train Day and National Preservation Month. The locomotive was removed from display in 2019 in order to replace rusted parts, remediate hazardous materials from its original construction, and receive a new paint job.
May 5, 2021
CNJ Steam Locomotive 113 Powers Benefit Train in June
On Saturday, June 19, Central of New Jersey #113, from Minersville to Port Clinton and return, pulling coaches and an extra-fare open gondola! The locomotive will face south on the way south and north on the way north, with the gon right behind the tender in both directions.On return to Minersville we will host our full-menu all-inclusive pig roast at the station. PROCEEDS FROM THIS EXCURSION BENEFIT READING & NORTHERN ENGINEER CHRIS BOST, a regular at the throttle of #113, as he fights chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIPD), a nerve disease.
May 5, 2021
Rail Traffic for April and the Week Ending May 1, 2021
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 1, 2021, as well as volumes for April 2021. U.S. railroads originated 951,840 carloads in April 2021, up 23.7 percent, or 182,060 carloads, from April 2020. U.S. railroads also originated 1,173,952 containers and trailers in April 2021, up 33.8 percent, or 296,758 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in April 2021 were 2,125,792, up 29.1 percent, or 478,818 carloads and intermodal units from April 2020. In April 2021, 17 of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with April 2020. These included: coal, up 55,929 carloads or 28.7 percent; motor vehicles & parts, up 38,891 carloads or 465.9 percent; and chemicals, up 17,201 carloads or 14.8 percent. Commodities that saw declines in April 2021 from April 2020 included: crushed stone, sand & gravel, down 823 carloads or 1 percent; primary forest products, down 124 carloads or 2.9 percent; and farm products excl. grain, down 74 carloads or 1.9 percent.
May 4, 2021
Governor Cuomo Announces New York City Subway Will Resume 24 Hour Service Beginning May 17
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the New York City Subway will resume 24 hour a day service beginning May 17. In April, MTA New York City Transit officials announced 2,009,025 trips were recorded on the subway on April 8, the first time that more than two million trips were taken on the subway since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. The MTA will continue its unprecedented disinfection and cleaning effort. More than 75 percent of MTA customers agree the subway has never been cleaner. The resumption of 24-hour service will coincide with the Governor’s announcement lifting the 12 a.m. food and beverage service curfew for outdoor dining areas.
April 30, 2021
Governor Wolf Joins President Biden to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Amtrak and Call for Critical Infrastructure Investments
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf today joined President Joe Biden at William H. Gray III 30th Street Station in Philadelphia to celebrate Amtrak’s 50th anniversary and to highlight the need for critical rail and public transit infrastructure investments.
