LOWELL, Ark. — Executives of trucking giant J.B. Hunt are moderately optimistic about intermodal for the second half of 2019 and about the effects of Precision Scheduled Railroading on Hunt operations. Intermodal, which makes up more than 50 percent of Hunt revenues, had a difficult first half of 2019, due to PSR-driven lane closures in […]
Section: News & Reviews
Portland, Ore., floats idea of light-rail tunnel under downtown NEWSWIRE
PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland-area officials are beginning to explore the possibility of building a light-rail tunnel under downtown to address the bottleneck at the center of the city’s rail system. The Oregon Metro website says the idea, still in its early stages, was first floated two years ago as transit agency TriMet looked at ways to […]
SEPTA to close lines for major construction work NEWSWIRE
PHILADELPHIA – Nearly 27,000 daily riders on three regional rail lines operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority will face longer commutes for the next two weeks as major work on the Arsenal Interlocking, south of Philadelphia, takes place. Beginning July 20, the Airport Line will be closed in its entirety, and the Media/Elwyn Line […]
Union Pacific posts record quarterly results despite volume declines, flooding NEWSWIRE
OMAHA, Neb. — Cost-cutting, efficiency gains, and higher revenue per carload helped Union Pacific post record second quarter financial results despite declines in traffic and revenue and the impact of flooding that shut down key routes in the Midwest. The railroad’s operating income rose 8%, to $2.2 billion, even as revenue declined 1%, to $5.5 […]
UP confirms shutdown of Proviso yard hump; consolidation of other yards NEWSWIRE
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific confirmed today that it has shut down the hump at Proviso Yard in Chicago and curtailed operations at several other yards across its system as the railroad reduces the number of times cars are handled en route. “Proviso, in particular, was a very old and inefficient hump yard, still using […]
Wisconsin announces plans for more ‘Hiawathas’ NEWSWIRE
A northbound Amtrak Hiawatha passes the closed tower at Rondout, Ill, on June 2, 2019. TRAINS: David Lassen MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin officials announced plans to add three Amtrak Hiawatha round trips to the Chicago-Milwaukee route over the next five years, and should be able to add two of those trains with or without cooperation from […]
Big Boy’s Great Midwest Tour: to Mason City, Iowa NEWSWIRE
Follow along with Trains Editor Jim Wrinn in this third compilation video from Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 No. 4014’s Great Midwest Tour. This video focuses on Big Boy’s trek through Iowa on its way to Mason City, Iowa. […]
AAR: Weekly carload traffic sinks 4%; intermodal more than 7% NEWSWIRE
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 13. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 527,908 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.6% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending July 13 were 260,762 […]
CSX Transportation reduces full-year revenue outlook as volume declines NEWSWIRE
James Foote, CSX Corp. CEO CSX Corp. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation reduced its full-year revenue outlook on Tuesday after revenue and traffic volumes came in lower than expected for the second quarter. The railroad, which had been projecting low single-digit revenue growth, now expects revenue to decline by 1% to 2% this year. CSX […]
Denver RTD officials are puzzled by more than 13% ridership drop NEWSWIRE
DENVER — The Regional Transportation District’s light-rail system has experienced a dramatic drop in ridership during the first five months of 2019, and RTD officials have no immediate explanation. Ridership was down 13.7% from January through May, compared with the same period a year earlier. RTD spokeswoman Paulette Tonilas told the Denver Post that the drop […]
Metra preps for extreme heat NEWSWIRE
CHICAGO – Metra officials say Wednesday the commuter rail agency is taking safety precautions due to extreme heat expected over the next few days, and is being proactive to prevent last summer’s “hot car” problems. The agency started the day with an announcement via Twitter that trains will operate at reduced speeds due to the […]
NJ Transit unveils six heritage commuter cars NEWSWIRE
Newly wrapped Central Railroad of New Jersey multiLevel Bombardier coach joins five other heritage-themed cars to commemorate NJ Transit’s history on its 40th anniversary. NJ Transit KEARNEY, N.J. — NJ Transit will join the list of railroads to operate heritage-themed equipment, rolling out six coaches decorated with logos of railroads that operated on parts of […]
