LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. – In one of his first moves as Union Pacific’s new CEO, Jim Vena took a full day out of the railroad’s premium cross-border interline intermodal service with Ferromex, including the new Falcon Premium service that connects the Canadian National intermodal network with Mexico via Chicago. Since the schedules were improved shortly […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Derail the Sale opposed to selling Cincinnati’s railroad
CINCINNATI — While most people who follow trains and railroads realize that Cincinnati owns a railroad line, there is a good chance most local residents aren’t aware of what their city holds title to. The Cincinnati Southern Railroad, a 336-mile route connecting Cincinnati and Chattanooga, Tenn., was built by the city in the late 1870s. […]
Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena asks FRA for rolling stock inspection data
OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific says the results of the Federal Railroad Administration’s focused inspections of its freight cars and locomotives raised more questions than answers. “Typically, inspections by the FRA include a focused audit close out with clear findings and action steps, as well as a meeting to discuss any findings and mitigation approaches,” […]
NTSB documents reveal events leading up to fatal Union Pacific collision
WASHINGTON – The track circuit for a California siding where Union Pacific had stored empty well cars for more than eight months shifted between occupied and unoccupied nearly two dozen times in the nine hours before a stack train was routed into the siding with fatal results [see “UP train in fatal collision hit cars […]
FRA issues safety bulletin after conductor loses leg in switching accident
WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a safety bulletin to ensure that railroads are aware of a Sept. 1 switching accident that resulted in the amputation of a conductor’s leg. The FRA is investigating the incident, which occurred on a railroad that the agency did not identify. “A switching crew, comprised of a […]
Swiss to increase long-term tunnel capacity, repairs underway on Gotthard Base Tunnel
With remarkable timing — the process had been underway for years — but the Gotthard Base Tunnel derailment may have convinced any remaining doubters, the Swiss government announced on Aug. 16, a week after the tunnel was shut following a derailment, that it had approved the completion of the other major Swiss alpine rail crossing […]
CN, Norfolk Southern announce new cross-border domestic intermodal service
Canadian National and Norfolk Southern have teamed up for new cross-border domestic interline intermodal service that will link Atlanta with six Canadian locations and Kansas City, Mo., with Toronto and Montreal. The service, announced today, will launch on Oct. 2 with new steel-wheel interchanges in Detroit and Chicago, the railroads said. The service will connect […]
G20 Summit announces deal to create multinational shipping corridor
NEW DELHI, India – A rail and ports deal linking the Middle East and South Asia was announced Saturday at the G20 Summit meeting in New Delhi. The United States, Saudi Arabia, the European Union, United Arab Emirates and other G20 partners agreed to explore a shipping corridor project to augment trade flows between Europe […]
Chicago’s Red Line Extension receives $1.9 billion federal commitment
CHICAGO – The Federal Transit Administration has committed $1.947 billion in federal funding for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line Extension Project. The 5.6-mile extension of the CTA’s Red Line to Chicago’s southern border is the first rail transit extension since the Orange Line, running southwest to Midway International Airport from the Loop opened in […]
C&NW’s Lake Street Tower, Chicago
The diagram in the Lake Street interlocking tower for C&NW’s North Western Terminal in Chicago shows 16 station tracks and the complexity of the trackage at the throat of the terminal. C&NW photo […]
FRA: Union Pacific’s rolling stock inspection practices pose a safety risk
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific’s freight car and locomotive inspection and maintenance practices pose a “significant risk to rail safety,” the head of the Federal Railroad Administration said in a letter sent Friday to top railroad executives. FRA Administrator Amit Bose said the agency conducted a focused inspection of UP’s mechanical operations and rolling stock in […]
Gulf Coast service awaits Mobile station track, PTC gap closure
POINT CLEAR, Ala. —The launch of two daily Amtrak round trips between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., depends on when design and construction of a pocket track at Mobile is completed and 3 miles of positive train control is installed through CSX’s Gentilly Yard east of New Orleans. But that means service will not come […]