CHICAGO — The Metra board of directors has approved a Request for Proposals to convert three of Metra’s F40PH-3 diesels into battery-powered, zero-emission diesels, with the aim of awarding a contract this fall and having the first locomotive delivered 30 months later. “This proposal could be game-changing,” Metra Executive Director/CEO Jim Derwinski said in a […]
Zone & Region: Midwest
Digest: BNSF train derails in Southern California desert
No injuries as BNSF intermodal train derails near Barstow About 15 cars of a BNSF Railway intermodal train derailed Thursday at Jimgray, Calif., about 24 miles northwest of Barstow on the railroad’s Mojave Subdivision. The San Bernardino County Fire Department reports on Twitter that it responded to the accident about 6 a.m., but there were […]
Canadian Pacific’s quarterly revenue declines, but railway sets volume record in March
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific’s operating profit and revenue declined in the first quarter, but executives said the railway was gaining momentum as volume reached an all-time high in March. Quarterly operating income declined 6%, to $780 million, as revenue declined 4%, to %1.95 billion, CP reported on Wednesday. Earnings per share, adjusted for the impact […]
Digest: CTA begins in-service testing of new CRRC railcars
Chicago Transit Authority begins testing in-service of new railcars on Blue Line The Chicago Transit Authority announced Wednesday it has begun in-service testing for its newest railcars, the 7000-series cars being built by CRRC Sifang, an affiliate of Chinese rail equipment giant CRRC, at its Hegewisch plant on Chicago’s Far South Side. The cars are […]
Digest: Capitol Corridor memo expresses concern about Oakland ballpark plan
Oakland ballpark plan creates grade crossing issues, memo says The head of the agency operating California’s Capitol Corridor Amtrak service has voiced concerns about grade-crossing issues new a proposed new ballpark for the Oakland Athletics. The Waterfront District Ballpark adjacent to Jack London Square will require stadium visitors to cross a busy Union Pacific line […]
Steam superlative
Steam superlative The Rock Island had a fleet of 85 4-8-4s, largest in the United States. Here, No. 5058 leads a westbound freight near Lawrence, Kans., in January 1952. Photo by Robert Olmsted […]
Canadian Pacific calls CN’s bid for KCS ‘inferior’ and ‘likely to fail’
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific says Canadian National’s competing bid for Kansas City Southern would reduce competition, raise significant regulatory concerns, and upset competitive balance in the North American rail network. CN’s unsolicited $33.7 billion offer, announced Tuesday morning, tops the $29 billion deal CP reached last month to acquire KCS. The KCS board says […]
Canadian National emphasizes shorter, faster routes in proposed KCS combination
MONTREAL — Canadian National argues that its proposed combination with Kansas City Southern will offer shorter, faster, and more efficient routes than tying together the Canadian Pacific and KCS networks. And that less complicated route structure, CN contends, will enable a CN-KCS system to successfully gain north-south traffic that currently moves by truck between Mexico, the […]
Duplainville, Wis.: Milwaukee’s hot spot
Located just 20 miles west of Milwaukee in an easy to reach location, Duplainville offers up big-time railroading on two major Class I railroads, the Canadian National and the Canadian Pacific (plus Amtrak), a corner tavern with a great burger, and plenty of parking and other fans to mingle with. Join us for a preview […]
Duplainville, Wis.: Milwaukee’s hot spot
Located just 20 miles west of Milwaukee in an easy to reach location, Duplainville offers up big-time railroading on two major Class I railroads, the Canadian National and the Canadian Pacific (plus Amtrak), a corner tavern with a great burger, and plenty of parking and other fans to mingle with. Join us for a preview […]
Union Pacific to resume fare collection on Metra lines as of June 1
CHICAGO — Union Pacific will resume collecting fares on the three routes it operates for Metra on June 1 — about a year after the rest of the Metra system began doing so, and more than six months after Metra sued UP over its fare collection policies. Streetsblog Chicago reports that UP conductors began informing […]
Kansas City, Mo., is one of America’s top rail hubs
Who realizes that Kansas City is one of the U.S.’s main rail hubs, the second busiest and second by annual tonnage? Chicago wins by a small margin. While declines in coal shipments have likely ended Kansas City’s three-decade dominance in rail tonnage, the difference between the two cities remains about 3%, says the Association […]