David Lassen

5 days ago | trains.com | David Lassen

BERN, Switzerland — A broken wheel was the cause of the derailment in the Gotthard Base Tunnel that disrupted traffic through the world’s longest rail tunnel for more than a year, the Swiss Safety Investigation Center (SUST) confirmed in its final report on the Aug. 10, 2023, incident. In a press release on the final report released today (June 2, 20250, the SUST said it has issued four safety recommendations and one safety notice as a result of its investigation.

6 days ago | trains.com | David Lassen

WASHINGTON — Funding for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor would be cut from $1.14 billion to $850 million — a 25% decrease — under President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for fiscal 2026, according to budget information released by the Department of Transportation on Friday. According to the detailed DOT budget request, Amtrak national network funding would increase by $291 million, with the overall Amtrak budget down by $763,000.

6 days ago | trains.com | David Lassen

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Chicago-area transit operations will face draconian cuts to service in the next fiscal year after Illinois legislators on Saturday passed a new state budget without addressing the $770 million shortfall for the Regional Transit Authority and its three operating agencies. While the state Senate passed a transit bill, HB3438, that had been amended to address funding, the House adjourned without debating or voting on the proposal.

1 week ago | trains.com | David Lassen

SAN FRANCISCO — Wells Fargo will sell its rail leasing equipment business to a newly formed joint venture of GATX Corp. and Brookfield Infrastructure, the financial company announced Thursday (May 29, 2025). The joint venture will purchase approximately 105,000 railcars for $4.4 billion; Brookfield will separately acquire the Wells Fargo rail finance portfolio of approximately 23,000 cars and 400 locomotives, according to GATX.

1 week ago | trains.com | David Lassen

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Amtrak and Metrolink service through San Clemente will resume on Saturday, June 7, the Orange County Transportation Authority announced today (Thursday, May 29). The Surf Line route through San Clemente — an area where landslides have frequently disrupted train traffic in recent years — has been closed since April 28 to allow for repairs to address erosion [see “Emergency repairs to halt Amtrak, Metrolink …,” Trains News Wire, April 25, 2025].