An interesting question came in by email the other day asking about “Quiet Zones” … that is, specific stretches of track, usually running through or adjacent to residential areas, where residents want relief from the blaring horns of locomotives hauling both freight and passenger trains. Under normal circumstances, engineers are required to sound the…
A week or so ago, I wrote about the argument brewing between the FRA—the Federal Railroad Administration—and the nation’s freight railroads. The issue has to do with when there must be two qualified engineers in a locomotive cab. The second engineer is there primarily as a safety factor—to spell the other engineer occasionally, to…
Later this month, members of the National Association of Railroad Passengers will be gathering in Washington for three days … one of which will be spent knocking on Congressional doors doing our best to promote the cause of passenger rail. It’s an interesting experience. And a sobering one, because the corridors are crowded…
It’s got to be frustrating. After months of haggling, the Indiana Department of Transportation was finally on the verge of an agreement with Iowa Pacific Holdings and Amtrak to continue operating the Hoosier State, the train that connects Indianapolis with Chicago. Under the proposed agreement, the Indiana DOT would contract with Iowa Pacific to manage…