U.S. weekly rail traffic narrowly ahead of 2023 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume.

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic remained above 2023 levels for the 13th straight week, but the margin is narrowing. For the week ending April 20, total U.S. volume was 474,544 carloads and intermodal units, a 0.8% increase over the corresponding week a year earlier, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. That includes […]

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Montreal’s REM faces new delays

Yellow construction equipment inside railroad tunnel

MONTREAL — Ongoing work in the Mount Royal tunnel will further delay completion of the Réseau express métropolitain light rail project, the private developers said today (Wednesday, April 24). REM developer CDPQ Infra, the infrastructure arm of provincial pension manager Caisee de dépôt et placement du Quebec, said in an update posted today on the […]

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Michigan mine to use Intramotev autonomous freight cars

ST. LOUIS – Intramotev, which retrofits freight cars with autonomous, self-propelled battery electric technology, today announced a partnership with global mining company Carmeuse Americas to deploy its TugVolt cars at a limestone mine in Cedarville, Mich. “We couldn’t have asked for a better partner to deploy our technology in Michigan than Carmeuse,” Intramotev CEO Tim […]

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FRA issues safety bulletin following death of maintenance-of-way worker

Logo for Federal Railroad Administration

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration issued a safety bulletin today in the wake of a fatal accident involving a maintenance-of-way worker who was pinned by an excavator’s bucket. “FRA is actively investigating this accident, and is issuing this bulletin to remind railroads, railroad employees, and railroad contractors of the importance of ensuring proper safety […]

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Longer lengths of haul help propel CPKC’s first-quarter earnings

CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s first-quarter financial results reflected the progress the railway has made in the year since the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, executives said today. “One year into our historic combination, I am proud of what our dedicated family of railroaders has accomplished as we deliver on the benefits of […]

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UP train derails in central Texas (updated)

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

TRENT, Texas — About two dozen cars of a Union Pacific train derailed east of Trent on Tuesday, April 23, KTXS-TV reports. The derailment occurred about 8 p.m.; a UP spokesman said there were no injuries and no releases of hazardous materials. Images on the station website show derailed double-stack containers. KTAB/KRBC-TV reports that high […]

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Governments in alignment as Brightline West work begins

Hard hats on table

LAS VEGAS — One thing Monday’s Brightline West groundbreaking ceremony drove home — probably unintentionally — is that there are jurisdictional reasons it’s difficult to undertake major infrastructure projects in the United States. In this case, however, those factors seem to be lining up in a positive, rather than negative, way. “On a project of […]

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Colorado bill to help fund passenger rail projects advances in House

Passenger train with locomotives at each end

DENVER — A Colorado legislative committee has advanced a bill to help fund passenger rail and transportation projects. By an 8-3 vote, the state House Transportation, Housing & Local Government committee passed SB24-184, which will assess a fee on rental cars to help pay for the development of projects including the Front Range (Fort Collins-Pueblo) […]

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Last chance to ride VIA’s Budd RDCs

Under overcast skies a silver and blue two car passenger train reverses past a red brick depot

The days of the five serviceable Budd RDCs (Rail Diesel Cars) remaining on VIA Rail Canada’s roster may be numbered. As Siemens Venture equipment displaces the stainless and LRC coaches (and F40s and P42 locomotives) on the Windsor-Quebec City corridor, the aging RDC fleet assigned to train Nos. 185 and 186 between Sudbury and White […]

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MBTA sets more track projects for May

Worker welding in subway tunnel

BOSTON — The rapid transit Red, Green and Orange lines will see service disruptions in May as part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s ongoing effort to address slow orders, while six commuter rail lines will also see service disruptions. These service outages for maintenance have been scheduled: — On the Red Line, a previously […]

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