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To be clear, the 2nd & 3rd images without the Excel formatting and my Cleveland/Toledo speculation are the official schedule times released today.

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Trip times for the 2nd Amtrak Pennsylvanian service released, begins on November 18th. Eastbound times are pretty similar to my schedule crayon I did a few months ago. Westbound times are further apart from my guess. Existing 42/43 schedules change too.🚆

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Stew's High Speed Rail News October 2026 | Brightline West CAHSR

Check out Lucid Stew's latest Stew's News in North American HSR for October, including CAHSR, Brightline, Brightline West, NEC & Acela, Chicago/Midwest, ALTO, Austin-San Antonio & CDMX-Quaretaro

youtube.com

YouTube video by Lucid Stew

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Hadn’t been tracking when the announcement was going to be. But thanks for the heads up!

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RAIL Magazine @railmag.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I didn't know anything was being announced today. Purely coincidental; I came across this on a Facebook group this morning.

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Trolleybuses: all those ugly overhead wires interfering with the aesthetics of neighborhoods, am I right? 🚎🍁🏡 (Photo source: TransLink BC, Vancouver’s regional transit provider)

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RAIL Magazine @railmag.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

"The Authority is scheduled to meet Oct. 9 to address the report and issue corrective actions. As chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) said she believes the Authority will work to prevent similar problems from happening again."

abc10.com

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RAIL Magazine @railmag.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Both these things are moving forward in parallel, and the GCL is a much heavier lift in funding & political capital than the Andover extension.

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RAIL Magazine @railmag.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Want a first-hand view of the debut trip of MARC's new Brunswick-Camden Line? Thom of Trains Are Awesome was aboard and shares plenty of insights & background on the route bypassing WAS-Union Station. He's also coining the line the Camswick Line 👏👏👏 www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkPo...

youtube.com

Maryland has a new train line. I rode the first train.

YouTube video by Trains Are Awesome

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RAIL Magazine @railmag.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

To be clear: an authority no less than Metallica envisions electrified, modern high-speed rail in California, as seen in their debut at the Sphere last night. Take note you puppets (especially Gavin Newsom and state Democrats) and obey your master!

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Why was it rushed? Chuck Schumer.

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I see it more rushed procurement rather than Gadgetbahn. In fact, these are Alstom platforms they were preparing for the global market already. Amtrak was just the launch customer, and required way more technological/software downgrades for the NEC compared to what they designed for Europe/intl.

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Same location, nearly 50 years apart. Siegen Lane is now a 4-lane overpass above the now CPKC New Orleans Subdivision (Kansas City Southern back in 1977). This railroad would be the route of extended Amtrak Mardi Gras service to Baton Rouge.

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RAIL Magazine @railmag.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

You may not be familiar about the exact location of the Fort Collins station, and the reasons why - at least initially - trains to/from Denver will serve the Drake MAX BRT station and not the heart of the city, which is operationally difficult. More here: coloradoconnector.com/wp-content/u...

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Sorry, Minnesota Green Line *extension* (I was there for the original Green Line opening in 2014, just forgot the qualifier)

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RAIL Magazine @railmag.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Minnesota🟢Line: June 2027 (official groundbreaking: Nov. 2018) Maryland🟣 Line: Late 2027 (official groundbreaking: August 2017)

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RAIL Magazine @railmag.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

"The "interactive" open house will be at the station's proposed location, the CSU Shops at College shopping center, 2439 S. College Ave. The shopping center is directly north of the new King Soopers and directly south of the old King Soopers. The format is drop-in, from 5 to 7 p.m."

coloradoan.com

Fort Collins plans 'interactive' open house for passenger rail station

If you want a glimpse of the location of the proposed Fort Collins passenger rail station, here's how to see it in person and hear from planners.

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Yes, they selected different options available to them through Siemens.

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Why would the Airo seats be any better than those on the venture cars operated in the Midwest & California? After all, both are Siemens railcars and operate on Amtrak trains…💺 Ventures: procured by Midwest/CA, assigned to Amtrak Airos: procured by Amtrak directly

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Am I over-reading my impression the current governor doesn't give a $%^& about passenger rail (and maybe transit only slightly less so) and doesn't perceive any crisis in this situation because he'd never consider traveling this way?

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Edmonton-Calgary is a natural and relatively uncomplicated high-speed corridor. Alberta is looking to a partnership with the Canadian federal government and a to-be-chosen private consortium to make it happen.🚆

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I think there were also some lessons learned from the Ventures, and a longer shakedown period on & off the NEC to better understand the performance nuances from the start. Of course, there will still be teething issues...

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Yes, the semi-married trainsets are harder to add/remove coaches than Amfleets & locomotives to respond to seasonal demand fluctuations. And no railfan window in the last coach. Ultimately, not needing to wye a train at terminals is a massive benefit to launching new routes, plus the other reasons.

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The interiors & seat amenities are fine. Hopefully the reports of more comfortable seats over Ventures are accurate. The exterior profile aesthetics are sleeker than Amfleets + locomotives. But, for me, it’s about the operational benefits.

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Why are the Amtrak Airos a net good for passenger rail in the U.S.? 1) Amtrak desperately needs more trains. These are more trains. 2) Time savings on engine swaps @ WAS, PHL & NHV 3) Cab cars for push-pull corridors save terminal recovery time, non-revenue movements & crew time 🚆

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Bringing the First Northeast Regional Airo Trainset to Life - Amtrak Media

While there’s no specific estimates available yet (so you may be right), I expect Airos will realize about 15 minutes of time savings. The crew change & restocking at WAS can’t begin until they complete the engine swap. Amtrak claims shorter stops in this video: media.amtrak.com/2026/06/brin...

media.amtrak.com

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Finally, eliminating the engine change at places like WAS & New Haven is another time savings for those routes (including nearly train heading off the NEC into VA). Time savings makes existing trips more appealing to riders. I think the equipment itself is fine. For me, its operational benefits.

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I'd also argue that the substantial addition of cab car trainsets across the network addresses major operational challenges of wyeing trainsets at outlying terminals (well, at major ones, too). For routes like Scranton, this is a big deal. It decreases non-revenue layover time and also crew hours.

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I guess it's a matter of how much someone needs or enjoys any kind of achievement to keep up the good fight. These trains improve the situation of the status quo b/c Amtrak is critically short on coaches. This means fewer cancellations and more seating capacity. Without Airos, it gets worse.

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Rail authority looks to revive route through Missoula

Not really much major here in terms of updates but the Big Sky Rail Authority continues to work away at the North Coast Hiawatha route service development plan for the FRA. www.montanakaimin.com/in_print/rai...

montanakaimin.com

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority is working to restore the North Coast Limited/Hiawatha route that once brought passenger trains from Chicago through Missoula and to Seattle.

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This is a terrible, terrible idea. No world-class transit is fare-free. Spend any money you would have spent on removing fares and use it to run more frequent service.

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In Argentina, solar power from the Andes keeps this train running

"The train connects six towns in Quebrada de Humahuaca, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed valley that has served as a route through the Andes for thousands of years. Launched in 2024, it was designed in part to bring tourists to communities along the valley..."

euronews.com

The Tren Solar de la Quebrada can run nearly double its current length on solar power alone.

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Green Line Extension to Eden Prairie, southwest Twin Cities begins operation June 2027

"The new route extension will include 16 stations from Target Field in Minneapolis to Eden Prairie, including stops in St. Louis Park, Hopkins and Minnetonka. Metro Transit staff announced the opening date on Saturday at the new St. Louis Park stop on Louisiana Avenue."

mprnews.org

The new route extension will include 16 stations from Target Field in Minneapolis to Eden Prairie, including stops in St. Louis Park, Hopkins and Minnetonka.

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RAIL Magazine @railmag.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

"Pinehurst Station will connect riders to the 1 and 2 lines, with trains arriving every four to five minutes, according to Sound Transit. The agency expects the station to serve about 3,400 riders over time."

king5.com

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RAIL Magazine @railmag.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I would encourage all to evaluate Brightline / HSR viability in the U.S. takes via these criteria: •Are they considering the difference between Brightline’s operating & capital expenses relative to itsoperating revenue? •Do they consider a corridor that has 315 grade crossings to be HSR? (It isn’t)

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Wishing a reflective, inaugural 9 - 25 Day to you & yours 🩷

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Central Florida rail advocates: Don’t let them value engineer this down to the chaos of an at-grade interlocking. Fort Worth built all kinds of flyovers to bypass freight traps. Don’t accept anything less for a massive potential ridership corridor. Challenge here is also adding a transfer station 🚉

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Without some kind of flyover, forget about mid-day Brightline & SunRail heading from MCO to Disney Springs & Tampa when CSX has an activity window. And trains on both lines C r a w l i n g thru there to maintain safety. No flyover is a disaster by design. But it’s Florida, so could be 🤷🏻‍♂️🤔🙉🤡

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