LOMBARD, Ill. — One final batch of notes from this week’s Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting, marking the organization’s 100th anniversary: Blending cultures Merging railroads can be difficult, simply as a matter of blending cultures. The Penn Central merger famously was hindered by the clashing views of longtime competitors Pennsylvania and New York […]
PARIS — Four nearly 80-year-old, Baldwin-built diesel locomotives have been scrapped in France after preservation efforts failed. Two of the units were scrapped in December, following the scrapping of two similar diesels earlier in 2023. The locomotives were part of the effort to resupply French Railways (SNCF) following World War II, when it lost more […]
LA BROQUERIE, Manitoba — Twenty-seven cars of a Canadian Nation train derailed Thursday, Jan. 11, in rural Manitoba, CTV News reports. The derailment occurred about 7:15 p.m. No injuries were reported; CN told the network that there were no leaks or fires and the derailment posed no risk to the public. Cause of the incident […]
GRANITE CITY, Ill. — Port Harbor Railroad SW1200 No. 9335 sits gleaming in fresh paint — a scheme reminiscent of its former Conrail livery — at America’s Central Port in Granite City on Wednesday, Jan. 10. The switcher was built by EMD in November 1957 for the Pennsylvania Railroad, went to Penn Central in 1968 […]
Last year’s merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, the two smallest Class I systems, has turned out to be the little spark that has ignited a lot of railroad competition. Skeptics have scoffed at Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s meandering route from the Midwest to the Mexican border at Laredo, Texas. It’s got more […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — A lot has happened since Class I railroads averted a strike in 2022. CEOs and other officials at the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting were happy to point to progress in labor relations. Which is good, because — believe it or not — the whole national contract process is about […]
SEATTLE — The Sound Transit board has approved the one-year appointment of Goran Sparrman, a former Seattle Department of Transportation official, as its interim CEO. The board voted to approve Sparrman’s appointment at a special meeting on Thursday. The appointment is effective on Saturday, Jan. 13; today (Friday, Jan. 12) is the final day for CEO […]
GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Patriot Rail, a short line company that operates 32 railroads across the United States, is planning to revive passenger service on the Gettysburg & Northern Railroad in 2025, to capitalize on the millions of tourists who pour into this Civil War mecca each year. G&N will join two other active Patriot Rail […]
OAKLAND, Calif. — A computer network failure set in motion the events leading to the New Year’s Day derailment and fire involving a Bay Area Rapid Transit train, BART’s board of directors was told at a Thursday meeting. Nine people were injured in the incident in the East Bay between the Orinda and Lafayette stations […]
WASHINGTON — Network Rail Consulting Inc. has received a $73.2 million contract to provide system engineering for the California High-Speed Rail Authority, the company announced. Among services to be supported by the company are asset management, engineering support and oversight, design and construction operations and maintenance oversight, network integration and program compliance, Federal Railroad Administration […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — The man behind the rail industry’s burst of cooperative competition (or, if you prefer, competitive cooperation) came to the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting — an event focusing a lot of attention on such alliances — and said it was all good. Understandably, CPKC CEO Keith Creel said his company’s […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has urged federal regulators to squash BNSF Railway’s request to gain access a proposed short line railroad in Utah. Last month BNSF told the Surface Transportation Board that it should have the right to connect with the Savage Tooele Railroad due to trackage rights it was granted over UP’s Shafter Subdivision […]
