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 […]
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 […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Proceedings on Tuesday granted a request by all parties involved to extend board-sponsored mediation regarding Amtrak’s effort to launch Gulf Coast passenger service to Oct. 11. The request was granted without additional comment. Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority had filed the […]
WASHINGTON — Three days of scheduled hearings on the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger — the first combination of two Class I railroads in two decades — will begin this morning (Wednesday, Sept. 28) in the hearing room at the Surface Transportation Board headquarters in Washington, D.C. The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT […]
PIERRE, S.D. — Two rail projects in South Dakota will receive almost $2.4 million in funding under the federal Special Transportation Circumstances program, state Transportation Secretary Joel Jundt announced. The Ringneck & Western Railroad will receive up to $1.799 million for a project near Plankinton, S.D., while the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad will […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation needs to improve its customer service and culture, CEO Joe Hinrichs told employees during a town hall meeting on Monday, his first day on the job. Hinrichs acknowledged the controversy surrounding Precision Scheduled Railroading but says CSX won’t be changing its operating model because it’s hard to argue with its […]
WASHINGTON – The machinists’ union has reached a second tentative agreement with Class I railroads, just under two weeks after the rank and file rejected the union’s first tentative deal. “We are pleased to announce that the nation’s freight railroads have reached a tentative agreement with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM),” […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Patriot Rail, which concluded its acquisition of Pioneer Lines earlier this month, will expand further through acquisition of Delta Southern Railroad, the companies announced Monday. Delta Southern operates more than 40 miles of track in two line segments about 60 miles apart in Monroe and Tallulah, La., serving two Mississippi River ports: […]
In position for a shot of Pennsylvania Railroad J1 2-10-4 No. 6427 climbing Horseshoe Curve with empty hopper cars in September 1955, photographer Phil Hastings had to settle for this view when a mixed freight overtook the Texas type on the outside track. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
PITTSBURGH – In order to attract, hire, and retain conductors – and avoid crew shortages that snarl operations and hurt service – Class I railroads need to make the job more appealing to today’s workers. That was the consensus of shippers, railroaders, and analysts who spoke at the North East Association of Rail Shippers conference […]
NEW YORK – Coal is enjoying a day in the sun amid low stockpiles at power plants and high natural gas prices. Overall railroad coal volumes have improved since the second quarter of 2021 and the trend is expected to continue into next year. But then a wave of coal-fired power plant retirements will put […]
WASHINGTON — The parties involved in the dispute over Amtrak’s effort to launch Gulf Coast passenger service have asked the Surface Transportation Board for a second extension for their current board-sponsored mediation. In a request filed Friday, Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority jointly requested the board extend mediation by […]
