GREEN VALLEY, Ariz. — Twenty-four cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Friday morning, resulting in a spill of sulfuric acid from one tank car, the Arizona Republic reports The incident occurred about 25 miles south of Tucson. No injuries were reported, and the railroad said in a statement to the newspaper that “no waterways […]
Type of Train: Freight
Union Pacific’s Big Boy proves the enduring allure of steam and its ability to connect with the public: Analysis
Seemingly every resident of West, Texas – population 2,531 – has turned out to witness a spectacle. Townspeople are lined up on both sides of Union Pacific’s Fort Worth Subdivision, which runs smack through the middle of downtown. All eyes are looking to the south, hoping to catch the first glimpse of UP 4-8-8-4 No. […]
CSX, short lines in recovery mode after Hurricane Milton
TAMPA, Fla. — Freight railroads from the Gulf Coast to Miami are still assessing damages and making repairs after Hurricane Milton made landfall near St. Petersburg, Fla., late Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane. According to CSX’s most recent customer advisory, all routes north of Jacksonville, Fla., are open with no anticipated issues, as is […]
Norfolk Southern line into Asheville, N.C., to be closed at least three months
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern says its line between Asheville, N.C., and Newport, Tenn. — heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene — will be out of service until at least late January, while assessment of the route between Asheville and Old Fort, N.C., is ongoing. In the area hardest hit in late September, on the AS Line […]
Amtrak says Union Pacific could address most causes for Sunset Limited delays
WASHINGTON — Delays to the Sunset Limited were largely due to causes that could be addressed by Union Pacific, which failed to provide the statutory right of preference required for passenger trains, Amtrak says in the document containing its opening argument in the Surface Transportation Board’s investigation into the Sunsets poor on-time performance between Oct. […]
Weekly U.S rail traffic ends long run in positive territory
WASHINGTON — For the first time in more than nine months, U.S. weekly rail traffic has dropped below 2023 levels. For the week ending Oct. 5, total U.S. traffic was 486,187 carloads and intermodal units, a 2.5% decline from the same week a year earlier, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. It […]
Railroads have no choice but to rebuild after Hurricane Helene: Commentary
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Skepticism spread throughout the railroad community after Hurricane Helene’s devastating once-in-a-generation floods wiped out roadbeds, destroyed bridges, and left most of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee unrecognizable. Some in the industry expressed doubt that CSX and Norfolk Southern would invest the dollars needed to repair widespread damages. More than 40 miles […]
CSX, short lines wind down operations at Hurricane Milton approaches landfall
TAMPA, Fla. — Locomotives and freight cars are being moved to higher ground and railroad operations are winding down as Hurricane Milton is only a few hours from making landfall between Tampa Bay and Sarasota on Florida’s Gulf Coast. CSX is bracing customers for delays in the Tampa area as Hurricane Milton nears landfall later […]
Iowa provides $5.1 million in loans, grants for rail projects
DECORAH, Iowa — The Iowa Transportation Commission has approved loans and grants totaling $5.1 million for six rail infrastructure and development projects under the state’s Railroad Revolving Loan and Grant program. The agency says the projects will support creation and retention of 55 jobs within the three years of project completion. Receiving funding as Targeted […]
New bill would place rail yardmasters under hours-of-service law
WASHINGTON — Two members of Congress have introduced legislation to place railroad yardmasters under the same hours-of-service regulations that cover workers such as train crew members and dispatchers. U.S. Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Mike Lawler (R-Pearl River, N.Y.) on Tuesday introduced the Railroad Yardmaster Protection Act, which would limit a yardmaster to […]
Cando Rail & Terminals adds Buettner as chief legal officer
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Cando Rail & Terminals has named Eric Buettner as the company’s first chief legal officer. Buettner has more than 10 years of experience in corporate and commercial law with a focus on mergers and acquisitions at western Canada law firm MLT Aikins. He has served as Cando’s external counsel since 2018, primarily […]
Driftwood departure
Coal empties leave Pennsylvania Railroad’s Buffalo Line at Driftwood, Pa., in 1955, bound for the mines. Philip R. Hastings photo […]