Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
August 21, 2024
Locomotive No. 12 to Undergo Major Restoration
One of Tweetsie Railroad’s historic steam locomotives, the 107-year-old No. 12, will be out of service for several months for major restoration.
August 16, 2024
SEPTA Board Awards Contract for Purchase of New Market-Frankford Line Fleet
SEPTA awarded a contract to Hitachi Rail STS USA, Inc. for the purchase of modern railcars to replace the aging Market-Frankford Line [L] fleet. The new rail fleet will provide significant improvements to the customer experience with greater accessibility, capacity, and reliability.
August 16, 2024
Amtrak Infrastructure Work Enhances Northeast Corridor Service
As part of Amtrak’s efforts to advance a new era of rail, the company is making significant infrastructure improvements on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) to improve reliability, safety and efficiency. Amtrak is investing $260 million for track infrastructure improvements during the summer months, along with other ongoing work. These investments, a 109% increase from last year’s summer infrastructure renewal work, are fundamental to improving service to support the railroad’s ambitious goal of doubling annual ridership to 66 million by 2040.
August 15, 2024
NJ Transit Fare Holiday Announced
New Jersey Governor Murphy today announced a transit fare holiday for all customers from August 26 through September 2, 2024. During this period, fares will be waived for all modes of transportation, offering free rides across the NJ TRANSIT network as a “Thank You” to the hundreds of thousands of loyal customers who depend on public transit.
August 15, 2024
MBTA Purchases Additional New Commuter Rail Cars
Leadership from the MBTA and Hyundai Rotem gather in celebration of a new commuter rail agreement that will add an additional 41 cars to the line.
August 15, 2024
Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending August 10, 2024
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 10, 2024. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 496,509 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
August 14, 2024
Battery Electric Trains on Fairmount Commuter Rail Line
Yesterday Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng, City of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and Keolis Vice President of Asset Management John Killeen joined community leaders and stakeholders at Morton Street station in Mattapan to celebrate the $54 million plan to bring battery-electric train service to the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line, which will ultimately result in more frequent service and lower emissions in surrounding communities.
August 13, 2024
MARC and Virginia Railway Express Connectivity
The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration and Virginia Railway Express have celebrated a new collaborative agreement that will enhance commuter connectivity and efficiency across the region. Effective immediately, passengers with a weekly, monthly, or 10-trip ticket purchased on the MARC or VRE system to Union Station can utilize that ticket to transfer to the other system (MARC to VRE or VRE to MARC) to continue their trip at no additional cost.
August 9, 2024
CSX Huntington Heavy Repair Shop Achieves Fourth Consecutive AAR M-1003 Certification
The CSX Huntington Heavy Repair Shop has once again demonstrated its commitment to excellence by passing the Association of American Railroads (AAR) M-1003 audit with zero exceptions. This achievement marks the fourth consecutive year that the facility has attained this distinction, highlighting their unwavering dedication to safety and quality.
August 9, 2024
Full Service to be Restored on Quincy-Chicago Corridor
A transfer of locomotives from within the Amtrak network will restore complete service to the twice-daily corridor between Quincy, Ill., and Chicago, operated by Amtrak under a contract with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).
