Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Amtrak Train Going 80mph in 30mph Zone...

An Amtrak train that derailed Monday during its inaugural ride on a new line in Washington state was traveling at 80 mph in a 30 mph zone, the
National Transportation Safety Board said, citing data recorder information.

Bella Dinh-Zarr, an NTSB board member, said at a news conference late Monday that information from the data recorder in the rear locomotive provided information about the train’s speed. At least three people were killed in the derailment, and more than 70 others were...

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Monday, December 18, 2017

At Least 6 Dead in Amtrak Derailment in Washington State, Officials Say

At Least 6 Dead in Amtrak Derailment in Washington State, Officials Say

DUPONT, Wash. — A passenger train on a newly opened high-speed Amtrak route jumped the tracks on an overpass south of Tacoma on Monday, slamming rail cars into a busy highway, killing at least six people and injuring more than 75 others, officials said.
The derailment of Amtrak Train No. 501, making the inaugural run of a new service from... 


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Thursday, September 7, 2017

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Morales to step down


California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Morales to step down



California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) Chief Executive Officer Jeff Morales will step down from his position in early summer.

In an April 21 letter to California Gov. Jerry Brown and CHSRA staff, Morales said the time is right "to hand over the reins of the authority to new leadership."

Morales' last official day will be...
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Saturday, April 22, 2017

Alstom's New Hydrogen-Powered Transit Light Rail Vehicle

Alstom has successfully completed a test run of the Coradia iLint Hydrogen-Powered Light Rail Vehicle at 80km/h (49.7 mph).

These vehicles are expected to go into commercial operations in 2018.

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Amtrak Surfliner Strikes Large Eucalyptus Tree


January 31st, 2016 3:00 PM -- I got alerted that Amtrak #774 had an incident just south of the Sorrento Valley Coaster station, at the site of the old CP Pines. When I got on the scene about 20 min after the incident occurred, I found a huge Eucalyptus tree scattered all over both tracks. The conductor was also found walking around and assessing the scene.

Around 10 min later, a good citizen pulled up, who just happened to have a chainsaw. This man arrived before the MOW crew did, so he helped by chainsawing the small branches of the tree. Around the same time this was happening, some passengers began to disembark the train. Some were calling for their friends to pick them up, but mostly others were calling Uber and other ridesharing services to get them to their final destinations.

20 minutes later, a North County Transit District MOW crew showed up with their heavy duty chainsaws. The scene was then slowly being cleared with the help of 3 chainsaws now. 

Great work and efforts to the Amtrak conductor for keeping all of the passengers informed and safe of the situation that was going on, and to the good citizen who volunteered to help clear the scene before the MOW crews came on scene. 

This video was featured on KFMB (CBS 8) and KNSD (NBC 7) television stations, in San Diego, California on January 31st and February 1st, 2016.

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All Video/Media Copyrighted © 2016 MichaelLovesTrains Productions.

Friday, March 31, 2017

Grupo Mexico to acquire Florida East Coast Railway Holdings Corp.


A unit of Grupo Mexico will acquire Florida East Coast Railway Holdings Corp. under an agreement announced today.
Photo – PR Newswire
GMexico Transportes S.A. de C.V. (GMXT), the transportation business unit of Grupo Mexico, will acquire Florida East Coast Railway Holdings Corp. (FEC) in an all-cash transaction under an agreement announced today.

Subject to closing conditions and government approvals, the FEC acquisition will establish GMXT as an "important railroad owner" in the United States, according to a press release issued by both companies.

GMXT operates more than 6,200 miles of track covering...