Metrolink’s lonely F40PH locomotive is one of a dwindling number of F40s. It’s hard to believe once the EMD F40PH was the predominant motive power for Amtrak trains as well as many commuter lines. At Metrolink, No. 800 is today one of a kind. The story starts in the years following the initial hodgepodge of […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
More important than ever: NS First Responders Train
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Now in its eighth season, Norfolk Southern’s First Responders Train continues its mission of training 5,000 firefighters, emergency medical technicians, police and dispatchers each year at cities around NS’s 19,000-route-mile, 22-state system. From March to October, the eight-car train circulates among 12 to 15 cities, offering free training in emergency procedures to […]
Railways take over grain exports from Ukraine
Ukrainian Railways (UZ or Ukrzaliznytsia) and rail operators in neighboring European countries are stepping up efforts to move thousands of tons of grain from Ukraine to ports in Poland, Romania, and Germany for export around the world. The increase in rail transport has followed Russia’s decision to end a deal, previously brokered by the United […]
Montreal’s REM experiences bumpy first day
MONTREAL — Montreal’s Réseau express métropolitain light rail line experienced a problematic start to regular operations on Monday, as service was halted for more than an hour during the morning rush hour because of a pair of issues. The line was shut down from 8 a.m. until about 9:15 a.m. because of a track issue […]
Missouri governor set to approve funding for grade-crossing improvements
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons will sign legislation this week including $50 million in funding for grade-crossing improvements, and will announce a crossing safety plan with the Missouri Department of Transportation, WDAF-TV reports. Parsons will sign House Bill 4, an appropriations bill governing the Department of Revenue and Department of Transportation passed […]
NTSB issues preliminary report on NS hot-bearing coal train derailment
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board today released its preliminary report about a Norfolk Southern coal train that derailed in Virginia on July 6 after a wheel bearing failure. The railroad’s response to hot bearing alerts has been under scrutiny since the disastrous Feb. 3 hazardous materials wreck in East Palestine, Ohio. In this […]
Unions criticize Union Pacific’s selection of Jim Vena as CEO
OMAHA, Neb. — Incoming Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena will not get a honeymoon with rail labor when he begins leading the railroad on Aug. 14. Local SMART-TD leaders and the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO were critical of the company’s selection of Vena, who served as UP’s chief operating officer in 2019 and […]
CSX, SMART-TD agree to extend conductor training period
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation’s conductor trainees will spend an additional week learning the ropes before beginning on-the-job training under an agreement announced today by the railroad and the SMART-TD union. The fifth week of training at the CSX Training Center in Atlanta will focus on performing tasks in a field setting to increase trainees’ […]
Heartland Flyer’s challenging connections with the Southwest Chief
NEWTON, Kan. — Extending the Heartland Flyer 198 miles to connect with the Chicago-Los Angeles Southwest Chief at Newton, Kan., has been a goal of passenger rail advocates ever since the state-funded train between Fort Worth, Texas, and Oklahoma City debuted in June 1999. In the meantime, passengers wishing to travel between these north-south and […]
Riders pack Montreal light rail line on first day of free rides (updated)
MONTREAL — Montreal residents turned out in huge numbers to sample the first segment of the city’s new light rail system on Saturday, with officials forced to turn away some riders. An estimated 60,000 people rode the Réseau express métropolitain on Saturday, the first of two days of free rides before regular, paying operations begin […]
CN moves retired GE units in ‘funeral train’
WELLAND, Ontario — A Canadian National “funeral train” of 18 Dash 8 locomotives, part of an auction and sale in June 2023, arrived in Welland, Ont, on July 29, concluding a trip from Iowa. The locomotives will be handed off to the GIO Rail Trillium operation, which will deliver them to SLM Recycling of Welland. […]
Moffat Tunnel lease could become part of fight over Uinta Basin Railway
DENVER — Colorado opponents of the oil-train traffic expected to be generated by the Uinta Basin Railway may attempt to use Union Pacific’s soon-to-expire lease on the Moffat Tunnel as leverage in their effort to fight the Utah project, the website Colorado Newsline reports. The 99-year lease UP inherited in its merger with Southern Pacific […]