More Wednesday morning rail news:
Amtrak service restored on Northeast Corridor after 12-hour shutdown
Service on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor between New York and New Haven, Conn., has been restored this morning after a nearly 12-hour shutdown triggered by a CSX freight train derailment at Oak Point Yard in the Bronx. WNBC-TV reports the derailment at approximately 5:15 p.m. Tuesday evening led to damage to catenary poles, forcing the service cancellation. Amtrak reported on its Northeast Corridor Twitter account that service was restored about 6 a.m. Eastern time.
Washington rail bridge destroyed by fire
A Central Washington Railroad bridge across the Yakima River was reportedly destroyed in brush fires fanned by strong winds that began on Labor Day.
KFLD Radio reports several hundred feet of the timber and girder bridge between Prosser and Benton City, Wash., are “gone;” the website
Bridgehunter.com lists the 679-foot bridge as destroyed by fire. The bridge, originally built by Northern Pacific in 1941, is leased by BNSF to the Central Washington.
The Tri-City Herald reports a total of three railroad bridges were damaged or destroyed, but offered no other details.
California high speed project launches 'reassessment' as money issues increase
Rising construction and land acquisition costs have added to the difficulties of California’s high speed rail project, leading the California High-Speed Rail Authority to launch a comprehensive reassessment of its plans. The Los Angeles Times reports that increased costs and decreased revenues mean that the scaled-down system in Central California is facing a deficit of more than $1 billion. Authority CEO Brian Kelly says the agency has halted completion of its 2020 business plan to assess revenue, costs, project scope, and construction schedule.