$29B Boston rail upgrade backed … Amtrak NE fix requires billions … Europe’s night trains reborn

MBTA Commuter Rail trains
Boston's MBTA has endorsed a $29 billion plan to overhaul its Eastern Massachusetts rail network. © Matt Csenge | Flickr

MBTA Board Endorses Ambitious Slate of Upgrades For Boston Commuter Rail System
The MBTA Fiscal and Control Management Board has endorsed a commuter rail electrification plan to provide rapid-transit-style service throughout eastern Massachusetts. The $29 billion “full transformation” would run new electric trains every 15 minutes all day and add a rail tunnel connection between North and South Stations. [streetsblog.org]

Amtrak aspires to a 2-hour D.C.-N.Y. trip, but it’s going to take a lot more than faster trains
With this fall’s new, faster nonstop Washington – New York Acela service, and new Acela trainsets to follow in 2021, Amtrak appears to be on a roll. But its ambitions for the busy Northeast Corridor rest largely on its ability to raise billions needed for costly improvements to its aging and inadequate infrastructure. [washingtonpost.com]

All Aboard The Sleeper Train – The Unexpected Renaissance Of Overnight Rail Travel In Europe
In 2017, overnight rail routes were being axed across Europe and sleeping carriages seemed ready to be parked at the transport museum, killed by budget airlines and high-speed trains. However, just a couple of years later, night trains may be about to undergo an unexpected renaissance. [forbes.com]

Study weighs if Colorado Springs, Pueblo should get Amtrak line
Officials in southern Colorado have applied for a federal grant to finance a study that would link Colorado Springs and Pueblo to Amtrak’s Southwest Chief passenger rail. The Chief’s route goes between Chicago and Los Angeles, with Colorado stops in Lamar, La Junta and Trinidad. [krdo.com]