David Lassen

3 weeks ago | trains.com | David Lassen

First of two partsLANDQUART, Switzerland — A railroad’s shops can tell you a lot about the company in general. That was certainly the case from a visit to the main shops of the meter-gauge Rhätische Bahn, which firmly keeps one foot in the past while also embracing cutting-edge technology. My host for this tour — as for much of my visit to the railroad — was Markus Zaugg, the railroad’s head of rolling stock.

4 weeks ago | trains.com | David Lassen

PORTLAND, Ore. — Add the Portland area’s Tri-Met to the list of transit agencies warning of dire consequences without an increase in funding. The agency is warning that it could face a 15% cut in service beginning in 2027, with additional 5% cuts every two years after that, unless its funding is boosted. The agency is seeking a 0.4% increase in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund payroll tax — phased in over eight years — to avoid the cuts.

4 weeks ago | trains.com | David Lassen

Note: General travel information on visiting the Rhätishe Bahn is available here. North American railfans can only dream of their interests receiving the kind of respect from a major railroad that is displayed by the Rhätische Bahn, the meter-gauge, electrified railway in the Swiss canton of Graubünden we are featuring in the June and July 2025 issues of Trains Magazine. If the articles inspire you to visit, you’ll want to check out the information in our “If You Go” article on Trains.com.

4 weeks ago | trains.com | David Lassen

Space precluded inclusion of “If You Go” information with June’s Trains Magazine feature on Switzerland’s Rhätische Bahn (the first of two parts), but for anyone who might like to visit, here are a few notes:Getting thereFrom Zurich’s main train station, direct service on the Swiss Federal Railways, or SBB, to Chur — the RhB’s headquarters city — can take as little as 1 hour, 15 minutes. From the Zurich airport, it’s 1 hour, 34 minutes, with a train change at the main station.

4 weeks ago | trains.com | David Lassen

WASHINGTON — U.S. carload and intermodal rail traffic were both up for the week ending April 12, 2025, continuing the recent trend of weekly volume running ahead of 2024 levels. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show volume for the week was 491,908 carloads and intermodal units, a 5.4% increase over the same week a year ago. That included 217,566 carloads, up 4.3% from the corresponding week in 2024, and 274,342 containers and trailers, up 6.3%.