Union Pacific opens Phoenix intermodal facility

Yellow locomotive with stack cars being loaded

PHOENIX — Union Pacific has opened its Phoenix Intermodal Terminal, the latest addition to the railroad’s “pop-up” terminal strategy to test markets before building large, permanent facilities. The railroad says in an article on its website that the facility opened Feb. 1, 45 days after it first announced plans for the facility [see “Union Pacific […]

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FTA Administrator Fernandez to retire (updated)

Woman with dark hair in red blouse

WASHINGTON — Nuria Fernandez, administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, will retire effective Feb. 24, the agency announced on Wednesday. Fernandez was named deputy administrator on Jan. 20, 2021, by newly inaugurated President Joe Biden, subsequently nominated as administrator, and was confirmed by the Senate on June 10, 2021, becoming the 15th FTA Administrator and […]

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U.S. rail traffic down slightly in January

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

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was down slightly in January, but up considerably for the week ending Feb. 3, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For January, overall traffic was down 0.7%, with carload volume down 7.2% and container and trailer volume up 5.5%, compared to the first month of […]

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NS dispatchers to get scheduled days off under a pilot program

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern and the American Train Dispatchers Association will launch a pilot program next month that provides dispatchers with a scheduled rest day that rotates weekly. “We want everyone on our team to have access to predictable time off,” said Rodney Moore, vice president of network operations, said in a statement Tuesday (Feb. […]

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All inclusive tour to Alaska by rail (2025)

2025 Alaska — All inclusive tour Special Interest Tours and Trains Magazine bring you a rail excursion tour with outstanding views of the Denali National Park and down the Kenai Peninsula. Get ready to enjoy beautiful scenery from Sept. 4-13 with Trains Editor Carl Swanson on a 9-day adventure. This all-inclusive tour highlights some of […]

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STB to proceed with Amtrak Gulf Coast hearing

Man speaking from seat in hearing room

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will proceed with its planned hearing on the status of Amtrak Gulf Coast service on Wednesday, Feb. 14, the board announced in a decision issued Tuesday. The parties to the agreement allowing service to begin — Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority — had […]

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New slide activity halts freight traffic through San Clemente

Passenger train on single track next to palm trees and beach

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — BNSF freight traffic past the site of the latest landside in San Clemente has been halted by additional slide activity, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Tuesday night freight movement was suspended after the slope moved another 1.5 to 3 feet in a 24-hour period through Tuesday afternoon, Scott Johnson, Metrolink director […]

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