Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
December 1, 2020
Amtrak Awarded Metrolink Operation Contract
Amtrak announced that Metrolink, Southern California’s passenger train service, awarded Amtrak a four-and-a-half-year contract for commuter train operations services that will begin on January 1, 2021 and expire on June 30, 2025. As part of the contract, Amtrak will provide and manage engineers and conductors to operate Metrolink trains, playing a significant role in safety and customer service. Amtrak’s proposal was selected from a field of five proposers.
November 30, 2020
CSX to Acquire Pan Am Railways in New England
CSX Corp. today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire New England’s Pan Am Railways, Inc. (“Pan Am”), whose rail carrier subsidiaries comprise North America’s largest regional railroad.
November 30, 2020
VIA Rail Canada’s Third Quarter Results:
Like others in the transportation industry, VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) continues to be severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting a significant decrease in ridership and passenger revenues compared to the same period last year. During this year’s third quarter, VIA Rail recorded an 86% drop in passenger revenues as well as a decrease of 82% in ridership compared to the same quarter last year.
November 30, 2020
Stephen Gardner Named Amtrak President As Part Of New Leadership Structure
Today, Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn announced that Stephen Gardner has been appointed President, effective Dec. 1, 2020. Gardner’s appointment is part of a broader set of actions taken under Flynn’s leadership, working with the Board of Directors, to ensure that Amtrak is well positioned for success in fiscal year 2021 and beyond.
November 25, 2020
Metro to sideline 6000-series railcars following second incident
Metro is temporarily sidelining its fleet of 6000-series railcars following a train-separation incident on the Red Line on November 24. The broad safety directive, recommended by Chief Safety Officer Theresa Impastato and immediately approved by General Manager/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld, is expected to take effect within hours and continue for an indefinite period of time while an investigation is underway.
November 25, 2020
Rail Traffic for the Week Ending November 21, 2020
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending November 21, 2020. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 534,607 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.5 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending November 21 were 233,478 carloads, down 7.2 percent compared with the same week in 2019, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 301,129 containers and trailers, up 11.5 percent compared to 2019.
November 24, 2020
North Jersey Coast Line Train Derailment
NJ Transit Long Branch to New York passenger train 3292 derailed at Wood Interlocking, in Perth Amboy, N.J., at 12:20 a.m. this morning (November 24). All of the passenger cars remained upright and no injuries to the seven passengers and crew were reported.
November 23, 2020
Norfolk Southern appoints Smith And Hatfield As Vice Presidents; Martínez To Retire
Norfolk Southern announced that its board of directors has appointed two new officers: John Hatfield is vice president corporate communications. Kathleen Smith is vice president business development and real estate, succeeding Robert Martínez, who is retiring from the company.
November 23, 2020
Recommendations In Independent Report To Rehabilitate North River Tunnels Challenged:
Governor Philip D. Murphy, U.S. Senators Menendez and Booker, NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak have strong reservations about the feasibility of proposals in an independent report prepared by London Bridge Associates (LBA) and released today by the Gateway Program Development Corporation (GDC). Specifically, many of the proposed activities present very significant engineering and operational challenges, which have not yet been validated. They must be carefully considered and evaluated to ensure existing service is not compromised in any way.
November 20, 2020
Amtrak and NJ Transit Complete The Refresh Of The Tickets Waiting Area At New York Penn Station
Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT have completed the second and final phase of the Ticketed Waiting Area refresh at New York Penn Station at the Amtrak Concourse on the Upper Level and 8th Avenue side of the Station.
