WASHINGTON – In the wake of the disastrous hazardous materials derailment last year in East Palestine, Ohio, the Federal Railroad Administration has repeatedly said it’s doing everything it can to improve rail safety. Yet under Administrator Amit Bose the FRA has stymied Class I railroad efforts to combine automated track and equipment inspections with traditional […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Amtrak NPCU ‘Cabbage’ locomotives
Amtrak has been using unpowered F40PH locomotives for decades in various corridors across the country. For its shorter-distance trains — where one or both ends of the run lack turning facilities — these units allow Amtrak to assign only one powered locomotive instead of two. The first F40PH converted was AMTK No. 200, which had […]
East Broad Top wins $1.6 million state grant to restore two bridges
POGUE, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program has awarded the EBT Foundation $1.6 million to restore two steel bridges on a portion of the narrow gauge East Broad Top tourist railroad’s dormant main line. A major boost for the EBT, a national historic landmark, the grant will aid the line in its push […]
OmniTRAX to serve P&G plant in Ohio
LIMA, Ohio — Rail and logistics firm OmniTRAX has been selected to provide switching for Procter & Gamble’s laundry-products factory in Lima, the third P&G manufacturing served by the OmniTRAX network. The new agreement became effective Nov. 1. OmniTRAX affiliate OmniTRAX Lima Industrial will switch daily inbound cars to the plans and return empty cars […]
Operator in CTA Yellow Line collision faces dismissal: news report
CHICAGO — The Chicago Transit Authority train operator involved in last year’s collision between a Yellow Line train and snow-removal equipment likely faces firing, the CTA says, but it has been unable to act because the individual remains off work because of injuries suffered in the incident. The worker was found to have a blood-alcohol […]
Full-court press continues on trespassing, safety near tracks
CHICAGO — Operation Lifesaver’s “See Tracks-Think Train!” nationwide information blitz during the last week of September was the latest attempt to heighten public awareness of inherent dangers around railroad property. A recent symposium sponsored by the Chicago-area DuPage Railroad Safety Council took that initiative a step further, featuring presenters who discussed the scope of recent […]
New York, Susquehanna & Western promotes Held
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Alan A. Held has been promoted to vice president of transportation at the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway, the company has announced. Held has been with the railway since 2022. He has been responsible for operation of transload facilities, overseeing of personnel managmenet, managing Federal Railroad Administration compliance, and developing rulebooks […]
BNSF reports higher profits as volume grows and costs fall
OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway’s profits, revenue, and volume all increased for the third quarter, thanks to surging intermodal and agricultural shipments. BNSF’s parent, Berkshire Hathaway, reported on Saturday that the railroad’s quarterly operating income increased 13.4%, to $2 billion, as revenue grew 2.8%, to $5.9 billion. Expenses declined 2% for the quarter. The railway’s […]
With work completed, full rail service to resume on Hartford-Springfield, Mass route
HARTFORD, Conn. — More than five months of midday bus substitutions on the Hartford-Springfield, Mass., route served by Amtrak and CTrail trains are set to end on Monday, Nov. 4, following the completion of several maintenance projects. An alert on the CTrail website says 10 five round trips — two of Amtrak trains and three […]
Legislators’ letter calls for Amtrak to delay changes related to East River Tunnel work
ALBANY, N.Y. — Seven Republican members of the New York state delegation to the House of Representatives have asked Amtrak President Roger Harris to delay plans to reduce service in the state as a result of planned East River Tunnel work. The changes, taking effect Nov. 10, will see the Maple Leaf and Adirondack combined […]
Metro-North introduces Siemens dual-mode locomotives
CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Friday introduced the first of its newest locomotive for Metro-North Railroad, a dual-power variant of the Siemens Charger. Siemens SC42-DM locomotives Nos. 301 and 302, the first of 33 units, were unveiled in a ceremony at the Harmon Shops in Croton-on-Harmon. The locomotives feature a 4,200-hp diesel […]
Nineteen cars of CN train derail in Alberta
BEISEKER, Alberta — No injuries were reported and no hazardous materials were involved when 19 cars of a Canadian National train derailed today (Friday, Nov. 1) about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) north of the town of Beiseker, the Calgary Herald reports. The derailed cars included empty petroleum tank cars and 14 cars of household goods, […]