VAPARAISO, Ind. — A 39-year-old Indiana man has been arrested on charges related to the derailment of a Canadian National train in Valparaiso early Saturday, WBBM-TV reports. James Rockhill, of Kouts, Ind., was being held at the Porter County Jail on charges of railroad mischief, criminal recklessness, and leaving the scene of a crash. He […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Canadian National main line to Halifax washed out by flooding
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Canadian National’s main line to the Port of Halifax, Canada’s fourth-largest port, has been washed out as a result of flooding that caused “unimaginable” damage, according to Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston. Reuters reports a storm that arrived on Friday left more than 10 inches of rain in a 24-hour period […]
11 cars of BNSF train derail in Montana
HAVRE, Mont. — Eleven cars of a 25-car BNSF intermodal train derailed Friday afternoon about 8 miles east of Havre, blocking the railroad’s Northern Transcon route. The derailment occurred at 4:39 p.m., the Havre Daily News reports, quoting a BNSF spokeswoman. Hill County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Amanda Frickel said one car was carrying […]
BC port workers to vote Tuesday on tentative agreement
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Port workers on Canada’s West Coast will meet on Tuesday to decide whether to accept a tentative contract agreement, and union leadership said Friday it will recommend members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada accept the deal. A brief notice from ILWU Canada President Rob Ashton said union members […]
High winds derail BNSF train in Oklahoma
FAIRMONT, Okla. — High winds are being blamed for the derailment of a BNSF train today (July 21) near the town of Fairmont. BNSF said 29 cars derailed while the train was stopped because of high winds, according to the Associated Press. The railroad said no one was injured and no hazardous materials were involved. […]
FRA wants Class I railroads to report monthly train length and tonnage data
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has proposed requiring the Class I railroads to provide monthly data that tracks train length and tonnage as well as the number of reportable accidents for trains over and under 7,500 feet. The FRA, in a notice published in the Federal Register today, says it wants to use the […]
Railroad signals 101
There is more to understanding railroad wayside signals than simply “green means go, red means stop.” To appreciate what the signals you see along the track are telling you, you first have to grasp a few basic concepts. Railroad traffic control boils down to three situations: trains running in the same direction on the same […]
The people who work on trains
The people who work on trains have a variety of jobs. A Norfolk Southern flagman inspects a train near Marion, Ohio. Dale A. DeVene Jr. The people who work on trains have a variety of jobs. Each member of a train crew has a specific function. Since train crews do most of their work beyond […]
Missouri utility praises BNSF’s coal service
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway has been in hot water with federal regulators over the level of service it’s providing to a Montana coal mine. But now BNSF has found an ally in a Missouri utility cooperative that has praised the railroad’s service. “BNSF Railway provides unit coal train rail service from Wyoming Powder River Basin […]
Kansas City streetcar service resumes
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The KC Streetcar is back in operation. Streetcar service resumed this morning (July 21), 17 days after being halted because of track failure on a portion of the Main Street bridge over Interstate 670. The streetcar operator says multiple factors led to the track failure, including thermal expansion and degradation of […]
Lawsuit filed in collision that derailed Silver Star
LAKELAND, Fla. — A national injury law firm has filed suit against three trucking companies and a driver over the collision that derailed an Amtrak train July 14 in Lakeland, sending eight people to the hospital for treatment of injuries. WFLA-TV reports the suit was filed against Lastre Auto Transport, M&L Auto Transport, and Betan […]
Senate appropriations bill seeks to maintain funding for Amtrak, grant programs
WASHINGTON — Amtrak and funding for rail-related grant programs fared far better with Senate appropriators on Thursday than they did last week with those in the House of Representatives. Transportation spending for fiscal 2024 in a bill approved by the Senate Committee on Appropriations includes some $2.45 billion for Amtrak operations and state-of-good repair funding, […]