WASHINGTON — The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing next week on three nominees for Amtrak’s board of directors, as well as a member of the National Transportation Safety Board. The hearing will be Wednesday, June 21, at 10 a.m. ET, the committee chair, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), announced. It will […]
Type of Train: Freight
BNSF Railway sets date for taking control of Montana Rail Link
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway aims to take over Montana Rail Link operations on Jan. 1, 2024. Federal regulators in March approved the early termination of Montana Rail Link’s lease of the former Northern Pacific main line between Jones Junction, Mont., and Sandpoint, Idaho. Although the Surface Transportation Board’s green light meant that BNSF […]
Intermodal startup envisions autonomous double-stack trains and terminals
HOUSTON — The race to develop autonomous freight railroad systems has another entrant: Autonomous Intermodal LLC on Wednesday announced that it’s working on a new intermodal system that would automate trains and terminals. The backbone of AIM’s system is an integral 4,000-foot double-stack train and 9,000-horsepower locomotive. Each 4,000-foot double-stack platform can be combined into […]
Anacostia names Ferryman as chief operating officer
CHICAGO — Anacostia Rail Holdings has named David W. Ferryman to the newly created position of chief operating officer, effective today (June 15). Ferryman will be based in Chicago and report to CEO Peter Gilbertson. “We are very excited to have Dave join our team,” Gilbertson said in a press release. “He has held a […]
Union, West Coast ports announce new labor deal
SAN FRANCISCO — The Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union have reached a tentative labor agreement covering 29 West Coast ports, ending more than a year of negotiations in a dispute that had seen work stoppages at major ports of entry. The settlement has major implications for the rail industry given the […]
Minnesota highway remains closed from May 31 derailment
LANCASTER, Minn. — A section of U.S. Route 59 remains closed near the Canadian border more than two weeks after the derailment of a CPKC freight train, and clean-up efforts will keep it closed for most of another week. The derailment of 24 cars of the CPKC train took place on May 31 about 9½ […]
Canadian government approves land expropriation for Lac-Mégantic bypass
LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — Transport Canada’s request to expropriate land for the planned rail bypass around Lac-Mégantic has been approved, the Canadian government announced Wednesday, setting the stage for the government to take possession of the land on Aug. 1. “We understand how this may be difficult for some,” Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in a […]
Transportation Safety Board of Canada remains concerned about uncontrolled rail movements
GATINEAU, Quebec — Matters regarding unplanned or uncontrolled movements of trains or equipment are the primary unresolved matter in the rail industry for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, which this week issued its annual assessment of responses to the board’s outstanding safety recommendations. Across air, marine, and rail transportation, the TSB issued 62 recommendations […]
Sluggish intermodal traffic continues to define rail volume
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic continued its recent pattern in the week ending June 10, with carload volume showing a slight increase while intermodal traffic remained down significantly compared to the same week a year ago. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show total weekly traffic of 471,141 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease […]
Riding high on Santa Fe’s Arizona line change
Four SD24s traverse one of the many fills on the Santa Fe’s new alignment between Williams and Crookton, Ariz., in 1961. Don Sims photo […]
The MTH Baldwin VO1000 is a sturdy O gauge switcher
The MTH Baldwin VO1000 switcher has arrived. This Premier line model was announced in mid-April 2022. It’s a solid locomotive for any size layout with wonderfully detailed features. It’s not uncommon for MTH to put smaller locomotives like the VO1000 in its scale RailKing lineup; however, for this run we get a purple box and […]
AAR calls for ‘pragmatic’ policies to address climate change
WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads on Tuesday issued a report calling for government policies it says can address climate change through “economically grounded solutions” as a partnership with the rail industry. The nine-page white paper report, “Freight Railroads & Climate Change: Reducing Emissions, Enhancing Resiliency,” says policies “must leverage market-based competition, be grounded […]