WASHINGTON — Carload traffic remains down while intermodal volume is up, leading to an overall gain in U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 25, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. U.S. railroads reported total traffic of 485,232 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.2% over the same week in 2023. That […]
NEW YORK — New York City Transit President Richard Davey has been named CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority, departing from his job as head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority department overseeing subways and buses after just two years. The Massport board of directors voted today to select Davey over Eulois Cleckley, CEO of the […]
LEEDS, England — Marking the 200th anniversary of the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway Co., the first intercity passenger rail line in the world, the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester announced the all-new Liverpool-Manchester Railway Board on May 22, 2024. This new venture also brings forth plans for an improved high speed rail line […]
ANGOLA, Ind. — The sights and sounds of big steam with the aroma of handcrafted ice cream returned to Angola for the Memorial Day weekend. Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 made its 2024 debut with the Indiana Rail Experience’s Ice Cream Train. The experience — now in its third season of events and excursions […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern and 40 of its shortline connections have produced outsized growth in carload traffic this year through a program that aims to improve interchange consistency and reliability. The Short Line Performance Project, which began as a pilot with a handful of railroads last July, has seen interchange volume grow 9% since March […]
Up in June … Railfan Road: Chicago’s Cicero Avenue Roosevelt Road used to be THE Chicago railfan road. On less than a mile of viaducts just south of downtown, fans could catch passenger trains to and from many of the great Chicago passenger stations and associated coach yards. But intercity trains now only call at […]
The risk of derailment increases with freight train length, according to an academic study published today, which found that a 200-car train is 24% more likely to derail than a 50-car train. The study — by researchers from Brigham Young University, Georgetown University, and Virginia Tech — analyzed Federal Railroad Administration rail equipment accident data […]
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s Department of Transportation has announced that the state will run special passenger train to this year’s U.S. Open golf championship at Pinehurst, N.C. The “Open Express” train will run daily between Raleigh Union Station and the Pinehurst Clubhouse, near Pinehurst No. 2 golf course, during the June 13-16 tournament. The […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has announced schedule changes for some Northeast Corridor trains because of heat orders issued by CSX Transportation. A brief alert posted by Amtrak on its NEC social media feed says “CSX, the owner and maintainer of the tracks, issues heat orders notifying Amtrak that the maximum speed of passenger trains are reduced […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — Alstom is no longer working on an axle redesign for Ottawa’s light rail vehicles, previously presented as the solution to problems that have plagued the city’s Confederation line for three years. CTV News reports that a report prepared for an upcoming meeting of the city’s Transit Commission and Light Rail Transit Committee […]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s House of Representatives has passed a bill requiring drivers to stop for all on-track equipment at grade crossings, and making the failure to do so a misdemeanor. House Bill 372, sponsored by Michele Grim (D-Toledo) and James M. Hoops (R-Napoleon), requires a driver to stop at a grade crossing if […]
MOBILE, Ala. — Members of the Mobile City Council remained focused on its potential funding obligation to support Amtrak Gulf Coast service at a Monday meeting with Amtrak representatives, WKRG-TV reports. Representatives of the passenger operator, as well as CSX, the Southern Rail Commission, and the Federal Railroad Administration were on hand for a meeting […]
