Amtrak extends vaccination deadline, prepares for service reductions

Amtrak logo.

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has extended the deadline for its workers to receive COVID-19 vaccinations to Dec. 8, CEO Bill Flynn said today in a message to employees — and is preparing for possible service reductions if workers leave the company rather than receiving the vaccination. The new date aligns Amtrak’s deadline, which previously had been […]

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81 for 81: Celebrating Trains Magazine and a Nevada Northern 2-8-0

Steam locomotive at speed with tall plume of smoke.

ELY, Nev. — Consolidations, the everyday freight workhorse of the steam era, garner little love. They’re not sleek or refined like the rare Pacific passenger locomotive still found in service in the 21st century. They’re not as muscular as the Mikados that surpassed them with greater fireboxes, a trailing truck, and powerful muscularity in eight […]

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Bill to end Amtrak arbitration policy again introduced in Congress

Trains Washington Watch logo

WASHINGTON — A U.S. Senator who has twice before introduced legislation to end forced-arbitration agreements — once in all cases, and once specifically regarding Amtrak — is part of a new legislative effort aimed at the arbitration policy that is part of Amtrak ticket purchases. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) has led introduction of a Senate […]

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Union Pacific, Long Beach port, Utah facility combine for new service to ease congestion

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

LOS ANGELES — Union Pacific, the Port of Long Beach, and the Utah Inland Port Authority have announced the launch of direct rail service between the Long Beach and Utah facilities to help address ongoing port congestion. The executive directors of the two facilities, Mario Cordero of Long Beach and Jack Hedge of the Utah […]

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U.S. rail traffic maintains pattern of carload increase, intermodal decline

Weekly table showing U.S. rail traffic by commodity type and intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — Continuing a pattern that now extends over 10 weeks, U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Oct. 23 showed an overall decrease from the same week a year earlier, with intermodal traffic down and carload moves up. The latest figures from the Association of American Railroads have overall traffic at 510,762 carloads and […]

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Norfolk Southern warns that COVID-19 vaccine mandate poses risks to service (updated)

James Squires

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern CEO Jim Squires warned today that the railroad’s train crew shortages may be exacerbated by the federal COVID-19 vaccination mandate that takes effect on Dec. 8. Like CSX Transportation, NS is experiencing higher than normal attrition among its train crews and is having trouble hiring new conductors due to the […]

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Alaska Railroad board rescinds vaccine requirement

Circular Alaska Railroad logo

ANCHORAGE — The Alaska Railroad has rescinded its mandate for employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccination following a Tuesday vote by the state-owned railroad’s board of directors. The Anchorage Daily News reports the board voted unanimously to rescind the mandate, announced Friday in an email from CEO Bill O’Leary to employees [see “Alaska Railroad to […]

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CN names former BNSF official to board of directors (updated)

Canadian National logo

MONTREAL — Canadian National has named Jo-ann dePass Olsovsky to its board of directors, effective immediately. Olsovsky, 56, is executive vice president and chief information officer at Salesforce, and previously spent 12 years at BNSF Railway as senior vice president and chief information officer. Her BNSF experience included overseeing the railroad’s drone inspection operations for […]

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Minnesota museum 2-8-0 passes hydro test

Steam locomotive pulling freight cars over bridge

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway 2-8-0 No. 332 has passed a hydrostatic boiler test at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum following boiler repairs. Museum Executive Director Ken Buehler told Trains News Wire the test last week was a success, and the Federal Railroad Administration has now signed off on repairs to […]

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