Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
March 11, 2021
Adirondack Railroad Expanding
The Adirondack Railroad is expanding service north to Tupper Lake. Upon completion of the rehabilitation, contractors will have installed over 90,000 new cross ties and will resurface the railroad between Snow Junction and Otter Lake. The project is expected to be completed by November 2021. This rehabilitation work has already begun toward the goal of the railroad becoming the longest excursion railroad in the United States.
March 10, 2021
With Increased Demand and Congressional Funding, Amtrak Restores 12 Long Distance Amtrak Trains To Daily Service
As part of its COVID-19 recovery efforts, Amtrak announces full restoration of daily service for 12 long distance routes following pandemic-related schedule reductions in 2020. Providing customers significantly more departures for the upcoming summer travel season, the new schedule has been updated on all Amtrak reservation systems, including Amtrak.com and the Amtrak app.
March 10, 2021
Rail Traffic for the Week Ending March 6, 2021
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 6, 2021. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 515,135 carloads and intermodal units, up 11.4 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending March 6 were 232,494 carloads, up 1.1 percent compared with the same week in 2020, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 282,641 containers and trailers, up 21.5 percent compared to 2020.
March 9, 2021
CP To Employ Ballard Fuel Cells In Hydrogen Locomotive Project
Ballard Power Systems and Canadian Pacific announced today that CP will employ Ballard fuel cell modules in CP’s pioneering Hydrogen Locomotive Program. The modules will provide a total of 1.2 megawatts of electricity to power the locomotive.
March 8, 2021
Sleeping Car Service Returns To Overnight Northeast Corridor Trains
Amtrak Northeast Regional service will now include private rooms, affording customers an opportunity to enjoy a distinctive travel experience. Private rooms will be offered on select trains operating overnight between Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston. Tickets are now available to purchase for travel beginning on April 5.
March 5, 2021
MBTA Spring 2021 Subway and Bus Schedules Effective March 14
Today the MBTA reminded customers that upcoming spring 2021 subway and bus schedules will take effect on Sunday, March 14, 2021. These changes are part of Forging Ahead, the MBTA’s plan to preserve transit access and quality of service available to transit-critical customers and were approved by the Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) in December 2020 along with other service adjustments to other MBTA travel modes.
March 5, 2021
MTA Awarded Nearly $20 Million to Upgrade Metro-North Grade Crossings, Make Other Safety Improvements
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that Metro-North Railroad will receive a $19.7 million federal grant to provide critical safety improvements to nine grade crossings on the Metro-North’s Harlem Line. The grant was part of $40 million provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration this month.
March 4, 2021
Civil Engineers: Rail Infrastructure Still Top of Class
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) awarded the nation’s freight and passenger railroads their highest grade — a B — in the “2021 Infrastructure Report Card” . Overall, ASCE gave the nation’s infrastructure a C- in the quadrennial report.
March 3, 2021
SEPTA Encourages City Residents to Use Transit for COVID-19 Vaccine Travel
SEPTA is encouraging Philadelphia residents to take transit to their appointments at the City’s COVID-19 vaccination sites. To help them with their travels, SEPTA has developed new maps that highlight available services
March 3, 2021
Traffic for February and the Week Ending February 27, 2021
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending February 27, 2021, as well as volumes for February 2021. U.S. railroads originated 824,636 carloads in February 2021, down 11.1 percent, or 102,972 carloads, from February 2020. U.S. railroads also originated 1,015,995 containers and trailers in February 2021, up 1.8 percent, or 18,184 units, from the same month last year.
