Add one more all-time ridership record to the list

Seattle's Sound Transit is looking for volunteers to serve on their oversight committee - including those with backgrounds in engagement, advocacy, and passenger experience.

To prepare for construction over the Potomac (part of the $2.7B Long Bridge Project) that is expected to take four years to complete, both VRE and Amtrak will be adjusting schedules for those heading to and from the District.

Rail Passengers President + CEO Jim Mathews wrote this Streetsblog op-ed on the major battles facing advocates: UP's planned purchase of NS, a budget fight in Congress, and a reauthorization process that could claw back decades of work.

New year, same goals. What are your train/transportation #resolutions for 2026?

Backed by a $27M federal grant to return service pre-pandemic levels, proposed Metrolink service to Santa Barbara has been replaced by an expanded Pacific Surfliner plan.

Amtrak's "USA Rail Pass" is currently on sale for $250 until January 20th. www.amtrak.com/ticke...

Passenger rail expansion could be coming to the Mitten. By using existing state-owned tracks, the North-South rail project aims to get cars off the road and boost local economies from Detroit to Petoskey. Public feedback is now open! For more:

Despite a record-breaking surge in Florida ridership and revenue, a looming interest payment on Thursday has investors watching the company’s "cash crunch" closely.

A sobering look at rail safety: a new analysis from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland reveals that despite 3,000+ accidents over the last decade, many federal safety recommendations remain unimplemented For more:

LIRR rail unions have formally requested a second Presidential Emergency Board (the first being last Sept), extending the no-strike period by another 120 days, potentially into mid‑May, while wage negotiations continue.

Late last month, the MTBA issued an RFP for the operation and maintenance of its commuter rail system (the 5th largest in the country). One of the three bids includes a partnership between Alstom and Keolis, who has been running the lines since 2014.

Thanks to the equipment shortage caused by a mandatory federal inspection order of more than half SEPTA Regional Rail fleet, express trains have been operating as all-stop service. That finally ended this morning.

ICYMI: After House Republicans have proposed zeroing out the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and a number of colleagues have jumped to its defense.

Registration is now open for our spring advocacy workshops! More info: www.railpassengers.o...

Like Jordan in March of 95, we are back! Got news on the Amtrak OIG report that was released in the dying embers of 2025, and we announce the inaugural volunteer staff class. Plus all the news items you love and adore. #HotlineFriday For more: www.railpassengers.o...

After the very public clash with the Trump Administration, is seeing strong interest in the form of private sector opportunities (right-of-way for fiber-optic corridors, for example) to keep things moving.

Panthers fan heading to the game against the Rams this weekend? Take the train.

As Rail Passengers President & CEO has said many, MANY times (and something staff repeats any time we are on the road) - it's not that the train makes money, it's who the train makes money for. www.wkrg.com/mardi-g....

The 113-year-old Joseph F. Leitner designed station, last fixed up in the late 90s, will begin a $6M renovation project led by local architect Jerel McCants.

Thanks to a new "streamlined settlement negotiation process", the FRA has collected over $15M in civil penalties based on the Code of Federal Regulations for identified safety issues.

Houstonia Magazine Editor-in-chief Brittany Britto Garley rode the Sunset Limited from Houston to Alpine, sharing stories with fellow passengers along the way and welcoming the opportunity to "watch Texas unfurl from a window seat."

"America's Favorite Train" turns 25 this year and is celebrating with a month-long sale on one-way & roundtrip tickets.

While there are those who want to see the rails torn up for a "trails only" project and more time for public input, state officials are hoping to expand the Commonwealth's passenger rail network with the Shenandoah Valley corridor.

Miss us? Have any good train/travel stories from the holidays, or any news item we might have missed while we are gone that you want us to highlight? Drop them all in the comments.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday filled with love, laughter, and on-time trains!

Rail Passengers President + CEO Jim Mathews looks back at a successful year for passenger rail while keeping an eye on the advocacy fights to come.

I’m Just A Bill ends with our little bill about school buses stopping at grade crossings, still lounging on the Capitol steps, getting the long-awaited news from the congressman who originally wrote him: 1/2

Hotline Junction, what's your function? Hooking up stories and videos and opinions. (It will make sense, trust us). We have a ton of news on the UP/NS merger, an end-of-year video from Jim, and something about bills... See you onboard: www.railpassengers.o...

The Rail Passengers Association today expressed deep concern over Union Pacific’s application to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) [Docket No. FD 36873], seeking approval for an $85 billion merger with Norfolk Southern. 1/3

In the DC area this week? Stop by Washington Union Station's Holiday Market for an Amtrak pop-up x.com/Amtrak/status/...

$5M is up for grabs for states outside the NEC who want to get passenger rail projects off the ground (looking at you Wisconsin and Arizona) www.smartcitiesdive.....

The STB's Passenger Rail Advisory Committee (of which our President & CEO is a member) will continue on

The Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act, which creates a new regional authority of the same name and funds a number of investments in public transit, capital projects, and tollways across the state, officially goes into effect in June 2026.

In an effort to speed up the planning process for infrastructure projects, namely a proposed high-speed line between Toronto and Quebec City, a bill to "accelerate planning, design, and engineering" is currently under review in Parliament www.railway.supply/t...

Chattanooga has put their USDOT Corridor ID grant, issued in 2023 to study an Atlanta-Chattanooga-Nashville-Memphis Corridor passenger rail line, to good use and is in the process of creating a nonprofit entity to oversee the project going forward.

UPDATE: We posted an in-depth story a yesterday from Progressive Railroading about the UP/NS and what it all means for passenger rail (including quotes from our President + CEO) - but we forgot to share the link. Our apologies. Story:

I'm sure some of our friends in The Hub might snicker at this

Two major passenger rail projects, which are set to begin construction at some point next year, are part of this list

Rail Passengers President + CEO is quoted in this long form piece from Progressive Railroading on what the proposed "merger" between Union Pacific Railroad & Norfolk Southern could mean for passenger rail - and what will be asked of the STB in its evaluation of the deal.

Over 18k unionized Amtrak workers are getting a little extra in their stockings this year.

We have more rail tracks than anyone and the greatest freight system in the world - but why is passenger rail such a mystery? www.npr.org/2025/12/...

Join Rail Passengers President + CEO Jim Mathews at last month's Southampton (MA) Yard groundbreaking ceremony - the $583M investment to welcome the new Airo trainsets in 2026. Watch the video for insights on this long-awaited project:

The penultimate #HotlineFriday of 2025. We "wrap" up the year, highlight investments at work, cover a win for CAHSR, and celebrate with some holiday merch and events around the country. See you onboard! www.railpassengers.o...#HotlineFriday

For so many of us, the train set lapping the holiday town set up under the Christmas tree is a core memory from our childhood. All Aboard Ohio Communications Director Beth Russell dives into that familiar holiday feeling and looks at the “season built on rail.”

Six stories under NYC, project managers for the East Tunnel rehab gave members of the media a tour to mark the first six months of work.

They said nobody rides trains anymore. That it is an "outdated technology." The data says otherwise. 2025 wasn't just a good year for passenger rail - it was a record-breaking one. 1/4

For the first time since 2019, the Operation North Pole (ONP) Christmas train is returning to the Chicago suburbs More info:

In 35 years of rail service, North Carolina's rail division has never had a month like they did this past October - with nearly 75,000 passengers on board.

Passenger rail and public transit options are going to be VERY important come next summer.