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It’s getting pretty tiring at this point to see how many different types of backflips they’re prepared to do, just to avoid implementing a rational local/express track configuration here. I agree with F-Line: this project has reached a critical mass of dumb choices about various topics, from...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/proponents-all-in-on-northern-tier-passenger-rail-amidst-federal-uncertainty/ar-AA1A199F?ocid=BingNews The Northern Tier Passenger Rail idea is back in the news after some college students from Western Mass met with Gov. Healey to talk about it. Apparently...

https://www.pressherald.com/2025/03/04/rail-advocates-renew-push-for-passenger-service-to-bangor/ After last year’s bill to begin studying a Portland-Bangor failed in the House, the same Maine state legislators who put forward that initiative last year are tabling a slightly-updated version...

I think Minnesota is the New Hampshire of the Midwest when it comes to commuter rail. As surely as the sun rises, the Republicans in the state legislature screech about how it’s a waste of taxpayer dollars. Apparently they passed a bill that stood for 20 years, and was only repealed in 2023...

https://www.progressiverailroading.com/passenger_rail/news/MnDOT-Met-Council-announce-likely-end-to-Northstar-Commuter-Rail--73971 Minnesota looks like it’s actually going to pull the trigger on completely eliminating the single-line Northstar commuter rail service to Minneapolis. It’s existed...

This is what I was wondering. If stopping in downtown Burlington wouldn't make the Vermonter a significantly more appealing travel option for people headed to Burlington (i.e. 75% of Essex Junction ridership shifts to Union Station PLUS you get another Essex Junction's worth on top of that)...

Back when Burlington Union Station reopened, I wondered if it might spark any interest in upgrading the Winooski Branch to allow the Vermonter to serve Burlington directly instead of its stop 5 miles outside of town in Essex Junction. I’m sure a healthy proportion (maybe even the majority) of...

My bad, meant to say “rebuild” instead of “reopen.” The basic point still holds: until both stations have equal levels of service and equal parking fares, we won’t know how much of a boost South Attleboro’s closure gave Pawtucket during the time it was closed. For now, Pawtucket enjoys the...

The new (re)development occurring in the vicinity of the station and the passenger facility building are unambiguous successes, but to play devil’s advocate on the station exceeding ridership expectations, the elephant in the room is South Attleboro’s sudden closure, which was not anticipated...

Hey, criminal activity aside, at least he’s got a sense of humor…he basically turned a pun on “wire fraud” into an additional charge! Innovation takes many forms, I suppose.

The last five minutes of that public meeting (video here for anyone interested) got so heated they cut the meeting short. It was mostly a few people who were not cooperating with the prescribed means of public comment, but you could hear displeased background muttering from the crowd throughout...

Part of me wonders whether the seasonal excursion trip idea is something they genuinely intend to pursue vs. something they’d say to MEDOT to signal consistency with “the spirit” of providing passenger service on the branch without actually intending to get involved with the Downeaster...

https://www.sunjournal.com/2024/12/11/auburn-officials-asked-to-support-casco-bay-rail-trail-project/

https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2025-01-09/maine-dot-selects-new-operator-of-rockland-rail-line Maine Switching Services was announced as the winning bidder for MEDOT’s Rockland Branch RFP. The article notes that their bid did not include operating passenger service on the...

When you watch a video like that, you have to consciously suppress the urge to just chalk it up to “Florida Man” stuff. Brightline, FDOT, and/or whoever else should double down on public education efforts. Most people who would roll the dice and try to cross even while the gates are down...

Thanks for putting that post together @Riverside, especially for doing all that digging through pages of threads from years past. The Red X is a cool concept, but it’s equally cool to see how it evolved over time and which discussions prompted its refining.

The project has been creeping its way through 30% design for a couple years. Per this year's update of the NEC Commission's Capital Investment Plan (p.20), the estimated project cost has now risen to a mind-boggling $360 million. Back in 2017, when RIDOT and Amtrak released a study on adding TF...

Interesting that Beacon Falls and Ansonia would have curved high-level platforms. I thought CTDOT always insisted on 100% tangent track for platform siting. Do they see curved platforms as “ok” here because the rolling stock they’ll be using on the line (Alstom Xtrapolis EMUs, converted into...

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/housing-business-space-planned-for-site-of-collapsed-new-london-church/3448362/?amp=1 Renderings in this (non-paywalled) article

https://theday.com/news/8048/30m-apartment-complex-proposed-for-new-london-church-collapse-site/