WASHINGTON — A coalition of labor unions representing railroad shop workers has asked the Federal Railroad Administration and Surface Transportation Board to take five steps to improve safety and service on the Class I railroads. In an 81-page letter posted on the STB website this week, the unions say the implementation of the low-cost Precision […]
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MARS notebook: Dealing with the border
LOMBARD, Ill. — Notes from Day 1 of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting: Border battle Union Pacific found itself involved in headlines not of its own making in December when U.S. Customs and Border Protection shut down border rail gateways at Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, quickly throwing U.S-Mexico rail traffic […]
U.S. Supreme Court won’t hear Ohio blocked-crossing case
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has elected not to hear Ohio’s appeal of a decision overturning a state law regulating blocked railroad grade crossings, WFIN radio reports, leaving stand precedent that local regulation is preempted by federal regulation of interstate commerce. Ohio’s Supreme Court had struck down the law, which prohibited railroads from blocking […]
How Positive Train Control affects smaller operators
Positive Train Control With Positive Train Control (PTC) fully implemented on a large majority of the nation’s Class Is, passenger, and commuter lines, many short lines and regional railroads have had to comply with the new rules when they operate over another’s PTC-equipped lines. This includes smaller railroads that serve customers on another railroad’s tracks, […]
Amtrak announces another round of weather cancellations (corrected)
CHICAGO — Amtrak has announced a significant number of cancellations beginning Thursday, Jan. 11, for long-distance and state-supported trains serving Chicago in anticipation of a major winter storm expected to hit the Midwest Friday and Saturday. The majority of cancellations are Friday and Saturday. Also affected are St. Louis-Kansas City trains and, on the West […]
New York subway system hit by second derailment in a week
BROOKLYN — The New York City subway system has experienced its second derailment in a week, as a Manhattan-bound train derailed on an elevated portion of the F line in Coney Island this afternoon (Wednesday, Jan. 10). The incident occurred about 12:25 p.m. between stations near Neptune Avenue and West 6th Street. The Fire Department […]
Railroaders stress cooperation on first day of MARS conference
LOMBARD, Ill. — The theme may not be new, but the emphasis seems to be increasing. The idea that railroads need to work together — and that doing so can be beneficial to all parties, not just the railroads involved, but their customers as well — was a recurring topic during the first day of […]
U.S. rail traffic shows gains in first week of 2024
WASHINGTON – U.S. weekly rail traffic was up 2.3% compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads reported today. For the week ending Jan. 6, U.S. railroads originated 208,176 carloads, up 0.9% compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 209,081 containers and trailers, up 3.7% […]
NTSB releases final report on Texas switching fatality
WASHINGTON — A conductor entered the “red zone” where there was an increased likelihood of being struck by equipment, and an engineer did not follow operating procedures to stop his train after failing to hear instructions from the conductor, the National Transportation Safety Board said in determining the probable cause of the fatal Oct. 28, […]
New York governor calls for start of Interborough Express engineering
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday called for the start of engineering work on the Interborough Express light rail line, as well as further extension of the Second Avenue Subway project, as part of the annual State of the State address. Other transit-related aspects of the address included new measures to […]
Amtrak thins out Northeast departures in response to winter storm forecast
WASHINGTON — As the next mix of high winds, rain, and snow moved up the East Coast, Amtrak cancelled frequencies for trains departing late today (Tuesday, Jan. 9) and early Wednesday but managed to preserve some service on all Northeast routes. This was the same scenario the company used earlier in the week when some […]
Transport Fever 2 | Product Overview
In this all-new, Trains.com product overview of Transport Fever 2, host Bryson Sleppy walks you through some of the distinctive features of the railroad simulator available on Mac, PC, Xbox One and Series S and X, and PlayStation 4 and 5 platforms. Unlike other railroad sims, TF2 expands the game environment consider additional modes of […]