An electric suburban train on New York’s Metro-North line derailed near Bridgeport, Connecticut, on the Friday 17 May evening peak hour and was hit by a commuter train travelling in the opposite direction from New Haven. Some sixty of the 250 people on both trains were hurt, five critically. The derailed train had left New [...]
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TWELVE WAGONS OFF IN CANADA
On 15 May, 12 wagons carrying sulphur in a southbound Canadian National train left the track near Chetwynd in north-east British Columbia. Eight vehicles fell onto their sides but the others remained upright. There was some spillage but it was quickly cleared. No one was hurt in the accident.
MARATHON BOMBING DISRUPTS BOSTON TRAINS
Reconstruction of historic arch bridges over the Shawsheen River in Andover, Massachusetts by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority prevented Amtrak’s Downeaster express from reaching Boston on five weekends and part of a week in February. Then came the Boston Marathon bombings during school vacation week, when train operations were temporarily shut down. The weekend of [...]
DEAD BODY FOUND IN RAILROAD CAR
Well, that was the heading in the Diamond Field’s Advertiser, though it would have been a strange finding if it wasn’t dead. GWK employee Thomas Papier, 48, went missing for two days before his body was found at the Alex Transnet yard at Beaconsfield south of Kimberley, inside a railway wagon carrying five tons of [...]
TRAM OPERATING WITH DOORS OPEN
Britain’s Rail Accidents Investigation Branch (RAIB) is investigating an incident in which a tram departed from two consecutive tram stops in Croydon with all four doors on one side open. Nobody was injured in the incident, but passengers were standing in the vicinity of the open doors and there was the potential for a serious [...]
SISHEN-SALDANHA LINE DERAILMENT
On 5 May, a number of loaded ore wagons derailed on the Sishen-Saldanha line near Moravia, spilling their loads and ripping up a lengthy section of track.
ONE DEAD 17 HURT IN BELGIAN DERAILMENT
Nearly 300 people were evacuated from their homes after a 13-wagon train carrying “highly toxic” chemicals from Holland derailed near Ghent, with one fatality and 17 people hurt. It is understood that six wagons left the track on a set of points. Three vehicles caught fire, setting off a “major blaze” and a series of [...]
MORE SLEEPER THEFT AT CULLINAN
Nathan Berelowitz reports that some 140 steel sleepers were stolen on the Cullinan line. The weekend passenger excursion scheduled by Friends of the Rail could get no further than Rayton junction on the main-line, with buses brought in to close the gap. It is hoped to have the line repaired in time for a photo [...]
LEVEL CROSSING AWARENESS
Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) carried out a number of activities on 9 May as its contribution towards observing International Level Crossing Awareness day, which fell on the seventh. TFR says it will be driving “intense awareness” for three months, ie during May to July. Each Business Unit will identify two level crossings for special attention. [...]
MISSISSIPPI BRIDGE AT VICKSBURG DAMAGED BY BARGES
The rail bridge over the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, Missouri, is closed as a result of “about 30 barges” breaking free from their tug and smashing into the supporting piers. At the time of writing, 15 barges had been recovered but two sank. The barges were loaded with coal and grain. It was unclear how [...]
- NEW BUSINESS EXPRESS
- RED SEA TO THE ATLANTIC
- GAUTRAIN TO OFFER BURSARIES
- SHOSHOLOZA MEYL WINTER FARES
- BUSINESS EXPRESS – 2ND JHB-PTA
- METRORAIL FARE INCREASE
- TRANSNET WAGE DEAL
- SPECIAL 150-YEAR TRAIN TO PAARL & WELLINGTON
- BLOEMFONTEIN-KIMBERLEY PASSENGER SERVICE
- UMGENI STEAM RAILWAY
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L Penning.: I agree with the unions that the assistants get va...
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Jo: I agree 100% with the Editor\'s remarks. I may als...
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Richard Clatworthy: Looking up some of the places on Google earth: Isa...
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