MONTREAL — When it comes right down to it, railroading is not a complicated business, Canadian National Chief Operating Officer Ed Harris says. It’s all about sticking to a schedule, following the operating plan no matter what, and running safely. Harris, who served as CN’s operations boss from 2005 to 2007, was named COO on […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Grand Central Madison, terminal for MTA’s East Side Access, debuts
NEW YORK — The path to the opening of Grand Central Madison — the new Long Island Rail Road terminal in Midtown Manhattan, deep beneath Grand Central Terminal — has been long, arduous, and incredibly expensive. Now that it has arrived, officials at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority hope it will be viewed for its transformational […]
Genesee & Wyoming agrees to settlement over Clean Air Act violations (updated)
WASHINGTON — Genesee & Wyoming will spend up to $42 million to correct Clean Air Act violations regarding locomotives under an agreement announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency. A complaint that was also filed Tuesday alleged that G&W and a number of its subsidiaries operated diesel locomotives with rebuilt […]
Massachusetts legislation calls for MBTA commuter-line electrification
BOSTON — Bills have been introduced in both houses of the Massachusetts legislature that would require electrification of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail lines by the end of 2035, the Boston Herald reports. The bills include an ambitious goal of electrifying by Dec. 31, 2024, three segments that serve what are defined as environmental […]
MTA to begin service to Grand Central Madison on Wednesday
NEW YORK — More than a decade after it was first projected to begin — and after more than three weeks of ventilation-fan issues that delayed a final effort to open before the end of 2022 — New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority will open its East Side Access project on Wednesday, bringing Long Island Rail […]
CSX train derails in Ohio
GREENWICH, Ohio — Twenty cars of a CSX Transportation freight train derailed around midday Monday in Greenwich. There were no reports of injuries or of incidents involving cargo, but a power outage was reported in the area. WYKC-TV reports about 100 people were left without power. Images on the station’s website show the incident occurred […]
Pacific Surfliner to resume weekend service between LA, San Diego on Feb. 4
ORANGE, Calif. — Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service between Los Angeles and San Diego, suspended since Sept. 30 because of an unstable hillside in San Clemente, Calif., will be restored on weekends beginning Feb. 4. In announcing the partial restoration of service, the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Corridor Agency said tracks in the San Clemente […]
Montreal, Quebec to spend more than $500 million to begin upgrades to Metro train control system
MONTREAL — The city of Montreal and the province of Quebec will spend more than C$565 million to begin operational upgrades on the city’s Metro system. CTV News reports the money will equip the Metro Blue Line with a new train control system, better managing spacing between trains, train speed, and track changes. Similar improvements […]
Track conditions on short stretch of main line in Nevada prompt UP to seek permission to temporarily deactivate signals and CTC
WASHINGTON – Union Pacific has asked the Federal Railroad Administration for permission to temporarily deactivate the centralized traffic control on a 13.4-mile section of its Winnemucca Subdivision in Nevada, saying that windblown sand and soil has made the signal system unreliable. UP says it can’t make repairs until spring because the track structure is frozen […]
Extending Caltrain, high speed route 1.3 miles into downtown San Francisco to cost $6.7 billion, agency says
SAN FRANCISCO — A 1.3-mile extension of Caltrain and California’s high-speed rail line to a transit center in downtown San Francisco would cost $6.7 billion, according to a new estimate from the agency which would oversee the project. The San Jose Mercury News reports the figure from the Transbay Joint Powers Authority represents a 34% […]
Washed-out bridge on Southern California short line could cost $1.5 million to replace
FILLMORE, Calif. — Replacement of a bridge on a rail line operated by Sierra Northern that washed out in this month’s heavy rains may cost $1.5 million, the Ventura County Star reports. About a quarter of the 450-foot bridge was washed away on Jan. 10, apparently by debris that damaged then knocked out the concrete […]
Amtrak suffers more long-distance cancellations, delays: Analysis
CHICAGO — None of the individual delays that befell numerous cross-country Amtrak trains during the last week were as lengthy or dramatic as the 37-hour ordeal experienced by more than 500 Auto Train passengers on Jan. 12. But recurring tardiness on several routes, coupled with reduced equipment availability triggering sellouts and high fares, has posed […]