ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern is revising its managerial structure, creating a combined Transportation and Network Operations organization to be led by Paul B. Duncan. Duncan, who is being promoted to senior vice president, transportation and network operations, will lead a team responsible for designing network operations, executing network plans, and coordinating train movements, the railroad […]
Type of Train: Freight
UP train in fatal collision hit cars stored on siding since December 2021
WASHINGTON — A Union Pacific train was routed into a siding that had contained stored railcars for nine months when two crew members were killed in an accident earlier this month, according to the preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The accident occurred Sept. 8, 2022 at about 2:40 a.m. near Mecca, Calif. […]
HDR gets design contract for UP-led portion of CREATE 80th Street project
CHICAGO — Union Pacific has selected engineering firm HDR to provide final track design and engineering work for the UP-led portion of the 80th Street Junction Replacement project, part of the CREATE program’s larger 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project. HRD will produce design for relocation of two Union Pacific mainline tracks between 80th Street and […]
Accurail HO scale freight car kits
HO scale freight car kits Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: See individual cars below Era: Varies depending on car type Manufacturer: Accurail, P.O. Box 278, Elburn, IL 60119; 630-365-1173; accurail.com Features: Injection-molded plastic construction Plastic wheelsets Solid-or roller-bearing trucks as appropriate Steel weight(s) Screws for trucks and draft-gear box covers Accumate couplers with modeler-installed trip pins […]
Senator introduces bill to address common-carrier rules
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced a bill this week seeking to better define railroads’ common-carrier rules and establishing criteria for the Surface Transportation Board to consider when assessing complaints about service issues, as well as a timeline to do so. Baldwin says in a press release that the “Reliable Rail Service Act,” introduced […]
Belt Railway seeks signal-design proposals for CREATE’s 75th Street project
CHICAGO — The Belt Railway of Chicago has issued a Request for Proposals for preliminary signal design services for two portions of the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project, a major element of the CREATE Project on the city’s South Side. The proposal will cover Projects EW2 and P2. EW2 realigns Belt Junction, where four freight railroadsand […]
Weekly rail traffic figure take another dip
WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic showed another significant drop for the week ending Sept. 24, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Total volume for the week was 489,111 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.4% decrease from the same week in 2021. Since the figures for the week ending Sept. 3 showed […]
CP and KCS tout and defend their merger on first day of regulatory hearings
WASHINGTON — On Wednesday’s first day of public hearings regarding their proposed merger, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern sought to blunt criticism of their $31 billion combination by preemptively addressing concerns raised by other Class I railroads, Chicago-area commuter railroad Metra, and lineside communities in the Midwest. Merger opponents — including Metra and communities […]
Electrical workers ratify contract with railroads
ARLINGTON, Va. — A third union has ratified its tentative agreement with freight railroads, the bargaining group representing the railroads has announced. The National Carriers’ Conference Committee announced the ratification by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents almost 4,000 rail workers. The margin by which the contract was ratified was not announced. “The […]
Clinton, Iowa, approves agreement with Canadian Pacific
CLINTON, Iowa — Clinton’s city council has unanimously approved a $1 million agreement with Canadian Pacific to address impacts of its proposed merger with Kansas City Southern, KWQC-TV reports. Under the agreement passed Tuesday night, the city will receive the funds if the Surface Transportation Board approves the first merger of two Class I railroads […]
Amtrak extends storm cancellations for Silver Star, Auto Train
WASHINGTON — In a Tuesday evening update to its original advisory, Amtrak has now cancelled all northbound and southbound departures of the New York-Miami Silver Star, and the Lorton, Va.-Sanford, Fla., Auto Train, through Friday because of the approaching Hurricane Ian. Also cancelled is the Saturday, Oct. 1, northbound departure of the Silver Star from […]
Could Amazon be a source of significant long-term growth for intermodal rail? Analysis
CHICAGO — Amazon’s move to increase control of its domestic supply chain by purchasing additional 53-foot intermodal containers could be a pivot-to-growth story for U.S. Class I railroads in the years ahead. The online sales giant has grown its container fleet from 250 containers in 2019 to more than 5,000 today. That’s the equivalent of […]