Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen approved a landmark agreement with Union Pacific that will provide engineers with more predictable schedules. The union’s six general chairmen reported today that 90% of the BLET divisions representing 5,600 UP engineers had voted in favor of the agreement. The agreement provides locomotive engineers in unassigned […]
MINNEAPOLIS — Railroading Heritage of Midwest America has sold one of its passenger cars to CPKC. The baggage-dormitory car, once used on trips pulled by Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261, will be used as a dormitory on steam trips this summer behind Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816. The car, which RRHMA had named Grand Canyon […]
HONOLULU — Hawaii’s new Skyline light rail system, billed by manufacturer Hitachi as the first fully autonomous metro system in the U.S., will make its debut today. It will be the first new major rail transit system to debut in the United States since 1993. The first train is slated to run at 11:30 a.m. local […]
PERTH, Australia — Australian agricultural cooperative CBH Group will purchase 17 narrow gauge locomotives from Wabtec, CBH has announced. Wabtec will build 17 dual-cab, diesel-electric CM20ACi locomotives, with the first group of five set for delivery in the March quarter of 2026 and the remainder in the following quarter. The order, which follows a December […]
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Railway Express has opened its new Lifecycle Overhaul and Upgrade maintenance facility, or LOU, at its Crossroads Yard in Fredericksburg. The 33,500-foot, two-track structure features a drop table for removing locomotive and railcar trucks and wheelsets; a wheel truing machine; and an overhead bridge crane with two lift points, one with […]
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has released its annual report to Congress for 2022, which outlines the board’s work during the calendar year, as well as providing an overview of its structure and mission. Board chair Jennifer Homendy, in her message accompanying the report, notes that the board issued 1,864 investigation reports during […]
WAYCROSS, Ga. – CSX Transportation’s third heritage locomotive is No. 1982 honoring the Seaboard System. CEO Joe Hinrichs posted photos of the locomotive today on LinkedIn, with the ES44AH posing outside the paint shop in Waycross, Ga. The Seaboard locomotive joins CSX’s Baltimore & Ohio and Chessie System heritage units. Each locomotive is numbered for […]
KANSAS CITY — You know the story: In November 1939 Electro-Motive FT No. 103 embarked on an 11-month, 83,764-mile demonstration tour on some of the toughest territory that American railroads could throw at the 5,400 horsepower, four-unit locomotive set. In test runs with freight and passenger trains, the experimental diesel-electric proved itself superior to even […]
DENVER — The Denver City Council has voted down a proposed ordinance that would have prohibited development within 100 feet of rail lines without safety measures to address possible derailments. In a Monday meeting, the council voted 7-5 against the proposal by Councilwoman Debbie Ortega. It would have required construction within 100 feet of rail […]
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. senators have reintroduced a bill they say is intended to address service issues and shipping costs for rail customers. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) on Wednesday introduced the Reliable Rail Service Act, which seeks to clarify the definition of railroads’ common carrier obligation and establish specific criteria for […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State is offering $121.6 million in funding for rail and port projects within the state under its Passenger and Freight Rail Assistance Program, with applications for funding accepted through Oct. 6. Eligible projects include track and bridge rehabilitation; yard, terminal and siding construction; grade crossing resurfacing; wayside detectors; and other […]
WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. freight rail traffic remains down, but for a second straight week, the degree of decline seems to be a bit more moderate. Traffic for the week ending June 24 was 469,453 carloads and intermodal units, a 3.2% drop from the same week in 2022, according to the latest statistics from the […]
