The westbound California Zephyr passes through West Hinsdale, Ill., on May 23, 2019. The westbound Zephyr will return to its regular BSNF route today after two days of detours and cancellations, while the Southwest Chief and Texas Eagle are also experiencing service disruptions. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — An early morning track closure Friday because […]
UP 4014, seen in Wyoming earlier this month, will run in California in October. Trains: Jim Wrinn POMONA, Calif. — Payback can be pretty sweet, afterall. The organization that traded Big Boy No. 4014 to the Union Pacific in 2013 said Friday it will get an excursion with the locomotive Oct. 12 and 13. According […]
CALGARY, Alberta — For the second year in a row, Canadian Pacific has pulled an international intermodal contract away from rival Canadian National. CP today announced that it would begin hauling Yang Ming Marine Transport’s containers at the Port of Vancouver, British Columbia, effective Jan. 1, 2020. The contract with the Taiwan-based steamship line […]
CHICAGO — Canadian National officials seek to double-track 4.27 miles of former Elgin, Joliet & Eastern track to speed the flow of freight and bypass Chicago’s congested rail hub, but the plan is facing a regulatory hurdle and growing opposition from municipalities and residents. CN, acting under its Wisconsin Central Limited Railroad subsidiary, has applied […]
A route map of the proposed Brooklyn-Queens Connector streetcar. New York City Economic Development Corp. NEW YORK — The proposed Brooklyn-Queens Connector light rail line, known as BQX, received its first city council discussion Thursday when the council’s task force on the project received an update on the 3-year-old plan. Gothamist reports that city officials […]
BISMARCK, N.D. — The State of North Dakota will continue its 4-year-old rail safety inspection program for at least two more years, the Associated Press reports. The program was set to expire in July, but Gov. Doug Burgum signed a bill extending the program through 2021, and state Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner said he […]
QUEENSBURY, N.Y. — OmniTRAX has withdrawn its application to run the Saratoga Springs-North Creek, N.Y., line formerly operated by Iowa Pacific, leaving just one group as a potential operator. “We’ve got better opportunities elsewhere,” OmniTRAX spokesman Ron Margulis told the Albany Times Union. Originally, three groups had considered taking over the route operated by Iowa […]
With a Canadian National unit in the lead, a northbound BNSF Railway train crosses the international bridge over the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass, Texas, in May 2019. Bill Stephens WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s proposal to hit Mexican imports with tariffs beginning next month could eventually hurt cross-border rail traffic that has been a […]
SEATTLE — The shuffling of operators for segments of the state-owned Palouse River & Coulee City in eastern Washington state continues. The Washington State Department of Transportation said it picked Omaha Track as the winning bidder to operate the 90-mile P&L branch of the PCC, which runs from the Idaho border near Pullman to Marshall, […]
This week’s Trains news wire round-up includes Jim and Steve talking about tariffs on Mexican goods; CSX’s views on automation, Amtrak detours and more! Only from Trains! […]
CHICAGO — BNSF Railway and CREATE have announced the completion of a CREATE project on the Western Avenue Corridor, the fourth of eight projects completed on that section of the project to improve Chicago rail traffic flow. Overall, 30 projects are now complete of the 70 that make up the entire program. The newest project, […]
NEW YORK — Railroads need to take advantage of their investments in positive train control, but the industry likely will move slowly toward one-person crews and autonomous operations, CSX Transportation CEO Jim Foote says. Foote likens PTC to the advent of wayside detectors and end-of-train devices that allowed railroads operate more safely, while eliminating cabooses. […]
