Weekly U.S. rail traffic remains up

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was up 5.2% over the same week in 2023, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending Aug. 10, 2024, U.S. railroads moved 496,509 carloads and intermodal units. That included 222,039 carloads, down 0.9% compared to the corresponding week a year ago, and […]

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CN bridge collapses in Fort Frances, Ontario (updated)

FORT FRANCES, Ontario — A Canadian National Railway lift bridge in Fort Frances has collapsed, the website NWOnewswatch.com reports. CN said in a statement to website operator Dougall Media on Wednesday, Aug. 14, that it was responding to “an incident” involving the bridge across the Rainy River that provides its connection to the Port of […]

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Mexico rail group “surprised” at capacity concerns raised by U.S. grain shippers

MEXICO CITY — Pushing back against criticism from American agricultural exporters, the Mexican Railway Association insists that the country’s railroads have the capacity to handle growing cross-border trade with the United States. A coalition of American agricultural shippers told to federal regulators last month that capacity problems — not surges of migrants seeking refuge in […]

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Caltrain offers F40s for sale in online store

Diesel power commuter train under overhead wire

SAN BRUNO, Calif. — Well, you won’t find this on Amazon.com. Currently on the front page of the online store for California commuter operator Caltrain, between the ugly Holiday Sweater, and the limited-edition HO gauge Stadler electric train (sorry, sold out) is … an F40PH-2 locomotive. Not a model, an actual locomotive. Click through, and […]

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BNSF to federal regulators: We’re ready for the grain harvest

blue sky, and train going across bridge

WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway has told federal regulators that it’s prepared for the upcoming fall grain harvest, but defended its performance last year amid weather-related disruptions to the broader supply chain. Surface Transportation Board Chairman Robert E. Primus requested the update from BNSF, which he said had struggled to handle the fall harvest in recent […]

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News photos: Electrified service begins on Caltrain

Electrified and diesel trainsets meet at station

After a Aug. 10 event involving Gov. Gavin Newsom and other elected officials and VIPs, public service using Caltrain’s electric multiple-unit trainsets began on a limited basis on Sunday, Aug. 11, between San Jose, Calif., and San Francisco [see “Caltrain to place first electric trainsets in service,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 9, 2024]. Two of […]

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Norfolk Southern sets date for RoadRailer finale

ATLANTA — RoadRailer has reached the end of the line. The last runs of Norfolk Southern Triple Crown RoadRailer trains 255 and 256 are scheduled to depart their respective terminals outside of Detroit and Kansas City on the weekend of Aug. 24-25. The freight the aging equipment carries — auto parts in general and particularly […]

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Brightline West obtains $1 billion bond offering

Group of people pose for photo behind "Brightline West Groundbreaking" banner

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Trains News Wire has obtained an 1,160-page “Limited Remarketing Memorandum” issued earlier this month announcing the $1 billion availability of bonds by California and Nevada authorities. The financing is part of Brightline West’s quest to secure operating capital for its proposed 218-mile high speed venture between Las Vegas, Nev., and Southern […]

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