DE SOTO, Wis. — Four people are now reported to have required medical treatment after a BNSF Railway train derailed along the Mississippi River on Thursday afternoon, with two cars entering the river. Spectrum News reports an ambulance service transported four patients to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries in relation to the injury. A BNSF […]
WASHINGTON — The operators of a pair of Pennsylvania feed mills have asked the Surface Transportation Board to require Amtrak to allow freight service to continue while a six-week maintenance project is under way on its Philadelphia-Harrisburg main line. Amtrak plans to shut Track 1 to all traffic starting next month, which would prevent Norfolk […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration issued a safety advisory today (Thursday, April 27) that encourages railroads to take steps to address the complexities of operating long trains. The non-binding advisory — the second FRA has issued this month — comes in the wake of three recent derailments involving trains with more than 200 cars, […]
LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan legislator has introduced bills seeking to require two-person operating crews in the state, as well as limiting train size. Both bills introduced by State Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor, Mich.) would amend the state railroad code of 1993. Senate Bill No. 100 would require freight trains to have two-person crews, while […]
Trains News Wire spoke with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw after the railroad’s earnings call on Wednesday. Railroad safety has been in the spotlight since the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, and subsequent hazardous materials release. The wreck has put the entire industry under scrutiny, including the Precision […]
GIBBSTOWN, N.J. — The U.S. Department of Transportation has turned down a request for a permit to transport liquefied natural gas by rail from Pennsylvania to a terminal on the Delaware River, NJ.com reports. DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on Monday turned down the special permit sought by Energy Transport Solutions, a subsidiary […]
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina has joined the list of states introducing new railroad safety legislation in the wake of the East Palestine derailment and toxic chemical release, with a bill addressing train lengths, crew size, wayside detectors, and blocked crossings, among other features. The Railroad Safety Omnibus Act, HB639, was introduced earlier this month […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic remains down against 2022 figures according to Association of American Railroad Statistics, with traffic for the week ending April 22 showing a 3.5% decline compared to the same week a year ago. U.S. railroads handled 483,457 carloads and intermodal units for the week, including 240,584 carloads, up 5.1%, and 239,874 […]
There’s a dusting of snow on the ground as Rio Grande 2-8-8-2 No. 3613 approaches the Tennessee Pass tunnel with an eastbound freight in October 1946. R. H. Kindig photo […]
CALGARY, Alberta — CPKC’s first new service — a pair of intermodal trains linking Chicago and Mexico — will launch on May 11, carrying containers from new customers Schneider and Knight-Swift. Daily hotshots 180 and 181 will link Chicago with Laredo, Texas; Monterrey, Mexico; and Mexico City. With third-day service to Laredo, fourth-day to Monterrey, […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern’s first quarter earnings tumbled due to expenses related to the disastrous Feb. 3 derailment and subsequent hazardous materials release in East Palestine, Ohio. The railroad’s operating income declined 34%, to $711 million, due in part to an initial $387 million charge associated with the derailment, the railroad reported today. NS CEO […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will hold a hearing next month to consider a Powder River Basin coal producer’s request for an emergency service order that would require BNSF Railway to handle more volume from the Spring Creek Mine in Montana. The board will hold oral arguments on May 10 where Navajo Transitional Energy […]
