Stories related to: train

For the second time this week, confidential British government documents on fighting terrorism were left on a train and passed to the media. The papers blast countries like Iran for financial policies that can be used to terrorists’ advantage, reports the Independent , which released no other details about the documents. Earlier this week, a top intelligence official left secret files on a train which were handed to the BBC. More »

A Chicago Transit Authority elevated train derailed this morning, the Chicago Tribune reports. Although the train came off the elevated tracks, it did not fall all the way to the ground. Using ladders and baskets, firefighters rescued 39 people from the Green Line train on Chicago’s south side, but only 10 required medical attention. More »

The soaring price of gas is driving people across America out of their cars and onto mass transit, the New York Times reports. Buses and trains are up 5% or more in cities like Boston and New York, where mass transit is already a popular alternative, but the biggest leap in rider numbers—10-15%— has been in cities in the South and West where car culture is strongest. More »

Canadian authorities are set to lift the quarantine on a train en route from Vancouver to Toronto after determining that the 60-year-old passenger who died aboard earlier today "most likely did not have an infectious disease," CTV reports. Ten other passengers came down with flu-like symptoms; "we do not believe they're related,” an Ontario police officer told the Globe and Mail. More »

At least 70 people were killed early today when a high-speed passenger train traveling from Beijing jumped the tracks and slammed into another train, AFP reports. Some 250 injured were pulled from the mangled wreckage in the city of Zibo in Shandong province. Officials discounted terrorism and blamed human error for the crash, the worst in China in a decade, but did not elaborate. Two railroad officials were fired shortly after the accident. More »

Eurotunnel is in the black for the first time since the France-England tunnel opened in 1994, the BBC reports. The company says it has turned the corner after many troubled years, helped by a sweeping debt restructuring plan and the opening of a new high-speed rail link on the British side that has cut London-Paris travel time to under two hours. More »

An ambitious plan to make Spain the leader in high-speed train travel could provide a model for the rest of Europe, offering a greener, more relaxing alternative to short-haul flights. A major link between Madrid and Barcelona is slated to open this month with trains described in the Guardian as the "future of travel." More »

Amtrak struck a deal with nine of its labor unions today, heading off a potentially catastrophic strike that was scheduled to begin at the end of the month, the AP reports. Union members still must ratify the specifics, but sources say the deal grants the unions full payment of back wages while giving Amtrak none of its desired concessions on work rules. More »

When the GPS in his rental car told him to turn right as was driving over a railroad crossing, a New York area driver obediently followed directions—right onto the tracks. The car got stuck and he abandoned it minutes before a train slammed into it. No one was hurt, but the driver will be billed for the damages. More »

Shoppers weren't the only thing going hog-wild over the weekend, reports the Independent. One wild boar rampaged amid last-minute gift-buyers in a clothing store in France, while another stepped in front of a high-speed train, delaying trains for hours.  More »

At least 41 people were killed early today when the Karachi Express derailed, and Pakistani rescue workers were scrambling to pull survivors from the twisted wreckage, CNN reports. Over 135 people were injured when 12 of the train's 17 cars overturned. Over a thousand people were on the train, many of them heading home for the Eid holiday. More »

The historic first of what will be a regular schedule of freight trains crossed the border from South Korea to North Korea today, marking a major leap forward in the countries' reunification process and a step toward what could be a hugely profitable railway system. The link is part of a plan to narrow the gap between the economies of the prosperous South and impoverished North. More »

Five were critically injured when an Amtrak passenger train rammed a stopped freight train in Chicago today, the Chicago Tribune reports. Nine more were seriously hurt, including five Amtrak workers, and another 30 suffered minor injuries. Officials, who freed some workers from the locomotive with hydraulic cutting tools, expect the toll will rise to 50 by the end of the day. More »

The French transport strike headed into its sixth day today, with the unions losing some steam but hoping to hold out until tomorrow, when they will be reinforced by a separate strike of civil servants, lawyers and magistrates. Exasperated French commuters found some relief, as diminishing numbers of strikers meant more trains were running than last week.  More »

London's St. Pancras train station has gotten a nifty £800 million (nearly $1.7 billion) renovation and a new high-speed rail link to the Chunnel, the Times of London reports. Queen Elizabeth and assorted celebrities officially opened the new route last night with pomp and theatricals; the head of France's rail network called the Victorian gem possibly the world's best station. More »

Top travel time between London and Paris should be at least 20 minutes faster thanks to track improvements that allowed a Eurostar train to set a record this morning. The test journey from Paris to St. Pancras Station, London, a 306-mile trip, took 2:03:39, the BBC reports. Regular service, priced to compete with flying, begins in November. More »

Russia suspects terrorism in a bomb that derailed a train on the busy Moscow-to-St. Petersburg line yesterday, reports Reuters. Thirty-eight people were hospitalized and more  treated at the scene, about 170 km from St. Petersburg. The bomb was planted on a bridge; the locomotive and most carriages derailed after crossing. More »

A rebellious union of German train drivers has voted overwhelmingly to strike on Thursday, setting the stage for the country's largest industrial action in over a decade, reports the Financial Times . Travelers began canceling trips as the railway dug in, refusing to negotiate with workers and insisting that it could withstand a strike. More »

Amtrak is trying to lure high-end customers by offering $100 in free drinks to passengers who book luxury berths on certain overnight trips. The GrandLuxe trips, which start at $789,  feature gourmet meals—which already include free wine—and personal butler service. More »

A freight train derailed in western Ukraine, releasing a toxic cloud of yellow phosphorus and igniting fears of another Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the AP reports. Twenty people were poisoned and hospitalized, and more than 800 were evacuated from their homes. Rescuers had to extinguish a fire that created a gas cloud over 14 villages in a 35-square-mile area. More »