URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign officially opened the National University Rail Center of Excellence with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday (May 29). The center is the first academic rail research and education center of excellence to be supported by the Federal Railroad Administration with the help of […]
WASHINGTON — Canadian National has agreed to some of the conditions sought by a grain shipper group and the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of its proposed $230 million acquisition of Iowa Northern Railway. CN says it will allow IANR customers to arbitrate gateway disputes, a condition that the National Grain and Feed Association […]
PRINCE RUPERT, British Columbia — The CN-served Port of Prince Rupert received a major boost today when AltaGas and Vopak decided to move forward with their $1.35 billion liquefied petroleum gas and bulk liquids terminal on Ridley Island. The first phase of the Ridley Island Energy Export Facility, which is scheduled to open by the […]
Railfan weekend Join Trains Magazine staff for a railfan weekend photo charter event in Rutland, Vt., on Sept. 28 and 29. We are celebrating Vermont Rail System’s 60th anniversary of the Green Mountain Railroad (Bellows Falls Line). We will be exploring the Vermont countryside with a relaxing ride on our exclusive chartered train. Motive power […]
Unstoppable Thursday, June 20, 1968, began simply enough — clear, sunny, and warm. As a newly minted Santa Fe acting trainmaster working vacation relief out of Newton, Kan., I had been assigned by Superintendent Jimmy Fitzgerald — who later became vice president of operations — to monitor and expedite the movement of grain trains from […]
LAREDO, Texas — The Final Spike Steam Tour has entered the third country on its itinerary. This morning, the train celebrating the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger crossed into Mexico, a historic moment underscoring the three-nation linkage created by the CPKC merger and marking the first trip into that country for CP 4-6-4 No. 2816. […]
A record number of short lines qualified for the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s Jake Safety Award this year, with 340 railroads earning the “with distinction” honor for having zero reportable injuries for 2023. Overall, 385 railroads qualified for the safety award program, the industry group said yesterday. Nineteen member railroads will be […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National has beefed up its ability to battle wildfires with the addition of two new firefighting trains. The Trident and Neptune trains, unveiled yesterday, will join CN’s original firefighting train, Poseidon, in combating fires along the railway’s right of way, particularly in isolated areas. “Our priority is to maintain the integrity of […]
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The city of Charlotte and Norfolk Southern have reached agreement for Charlotte to acquire NS’ O-Line route north of the city for use as a commuter rail line, WSOC-TV reports. An email from City Manager Marcus Jones informed officials in Mecklenburg County of the non-binding agreement on May 15; that email was […]
SILVIS, Ill. — CPKC has decided not to run the previously announced excursion on Iowa Interstate with CP 4-6-4 No. 2816, Railroad Heritage of Midwest America President Steve Sandberg has informed Trains News Wire. Instead, the locomotive will be brought to Silvis for static display, Sandberg told Trains correspondent Steve Glischinski in a brief message. […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California High Speed Rail Authority has applied for $450 million in federal grants to continue construction of the project in the state’s Central Valley. Some $446 million of that would come from the Federal Railroad Administration Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program. The Authority has also released the final […]
LOS ANGELES — Metrolink has revived its $15 Summer Day Pass, a seasonal weekday special fare available through Friday, Aug. 30. The special pass, first offered in 2022, is offered alongside the agency’s $10 weekend day pass, which remains available through the summer. The Summer Day Pass will be available on all weekdays except July […]
