DACUS, Texas — Clean-up is in progress following the weekend derailment of 31 cars of a BNSF Railway train of crushed limestone in the small town of Dacus. No injuries were reported. There is some disagreement between the railroad and local officials over the reporting of the incident. BNSF told KTRK-TV on Monday that it […]
Zone & Region: Plains & Texas
Preservation group goes to court over Bismarck bridge
BISMARCK, N.D. — The preservation group seeking to block demolition of a 140-year-old BNSF Railway bridge has taken its effort to court. The Bismarck Tribune reports that the group Friends of the Rail Bridge has filed an appeal with the state’s South Central District Court seeking to overturn a decision by the state Department of […]
UP train was going 35 mph when it hit parked train in April accident in Texas
WASHINGTON — A Union Pacific train was going about 48 mph when it was sent onto a yard track from the main line and 35 mph when it hit a parked train at a yard in Chico, Texas, on April 16, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. Two […]
Kansas governor calls for regulation requiring two-person crews
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is seeking a regulation which would require two-person crews for trains operating within the state, calling it a “commonsense, necessary measure” for the safety of communities and crew members. Kelly, a Democrat, said in a press release that she has directed the state’s Department of Transportation to propose […]
BNSF gets final regulatory approval for new Bismarck bridge
BISMARCK, N.D. — BNSF Railway has received the final regulatory clearance for its long-delayed effort to replace its aging bridge over the Missouri River in North Dakota, and has begun preparatory work. A group that wants to save the bridge as a pedestrian and bike path, however, indicates it may take its effort to court. […]
UP train derailed in Kansas grade-crossing accident
YATES CENTER, Kan. — Five locomotives and approximately 24 cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Monday morning after a grade-crossing accident with a tractor-trailer truck, a railroad spokesman told KOAM-TV. The train’s crew was not injured, UP said. The truck driver was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Woodson County Sheriff Jeffrey McCullough. The […]
NTSB issues report on 2021 maintenance worker fatality in Texas
WASHINGTON — The use of a piece of maintenance-of-way equipment to move steel grating panels, with an attachment not designed for that purpose, was the probable cause of a September 2021 fatality involving a contract worker on the Union Pacific near Castroville, Texas, according to a National Transportation Safety Board accident report issued Thursday. The […]
Two injured as UP freight in Texas hits parked train
CHICO, Texas — Two crew members were injured Sunday evening when a Union Pacific train struck another train parked on a siding north of Fort Worth, WFAA-TV reports. The collision occurred about 7 p.m. in Chico, about 45 miles north of Fort Worth on UP’s Duncan Subdivision, and involved a southbound train. Three locomotives and […]
Freight derailment disrupts Fort Worth commuter rail operation (updated)
FORT WORTH, Texas — Full TEXRail service to downtown Fort Worth has been restored as of 4 p.m. CDT after a disruption earlier today because of a freight train derailment, transit agency Trinity Metro said in a Twitter post. Service between the normal terminus of TEXRail service, the Fort Worth T&P Station, and the North […]
Cimarron Valley Railroad marks start of $15 million upgrade project
HUGOTON, Kan. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and other officials were on hand Wednesday for groundbreaking ceremonies to mark the beginning of $15 million in improvements for the Cimarron Valley Railroad. KSCB Radio reports funding includes money from private sources, from the federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, or CRISI, grant program, and from […]
At least five hurt in Houston collision between light rail train, ambulance
HOUSTON — At least five people were injured Tuesday night when a METRORail train and Houston Fire Department ambulance collided in downtown Houston, according to media reports. KPRC-TV reports the accident occurred about 9 p.m. when the light rail train hit the ambulance as it was making a turn in the 6500 block of Fannin […]
MoPac 2-8-4 on the move
Missouri Pacific 2-8-4 No. 1119 rolls a southbound freight over a new highway bridge at Austin, Texas, in 1948. Bruce F. Wilson photo […]