The Amtrak passengers who come and go from train No. 7 at Havre, Mont., are likely on their way out the parking lot long before they notice the statue at the foot of Third Avenue. That’s a shame. Virtually everything they see, in all directions, can be traced to that stout Canadian immigrant standing sentinel. […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. railroads saw major traffic increases in April 2021 over the same month a year earlier, reflecting the traffic recovery from the economic slump triggered by COVID-19 related shutdowns in 2020. Traffic for the most recent week remained on pace with recent showings. Figures from the Association of American Railroads show overall U.S. […]
National Steel Car extends closure to address COVID-19 outbreak Hamilton, Ontario, railcar builder National Steel Car has extended its manufacturing shutdown for an additional week, and now plans to resume operations on Monday, May 17. The company halted manufacturing work because of a COVID-19 outbreak on April 23 [see “Digest: Canadian freight car company halts […]
WASHINGTON — The $1.69 billion Congress authorized for passenger rail economic stimulus relief when it passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 last month was formally conveyed to Amtrak Tuesday by U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This new assistance for Amtrak will get employees back to work and restore service on routes […]
Chicago Transit Authority begins testing in-service of new railcars on Blue Line The Chicago Transit Authority announced Wednesday it has begun in-service testing for its newest railcars, the 7000-series cars being built by CRRC Sifang, an affiliate of Chinese rail equipment giant CRRC, at its Hegewisch plant on Chicago’s Far South Side. The cars are […]
SEATTLE – After months of periodic sellouts at the 50% capacity limit on a single Seattle-Eugene, Ore., round trip — the only daily Cascades corridor service for more than a year — the Washington and Oregon Departments of Transportation plan to add two additional round trips on May 24. But because Talgo, Amtrak, and the […]
Union Pacific to close Palestine, Texas, car shop, subject of lawsuit Union Pacific will close its car shop in Palestine, Texas, as of June 14, eliminating as many as 57 positions. The Palestine Herald-Press reports employees were notified Thursday; a Union Pacific spokeswoman confirmed the closure and attributed it to operational changes across the system. […]
Short line association resumes in-person meetings with two regional events in June The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association will resume in-person meetings with two regional gatherings in June: The Central/Pacific Region meeting will be held June 7-9 at the Downtown Marriott in Kansas City, and the Eastern/Southern Regional Meeting will be June 21-23 […]
Despite ridership numbers that have fallen dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic — by up to 90% in some countries — Europe’s rail operators are showing confidence that better times and passengers will return, ordering billions of dollars of new equipment in recent months. In contracts worth more than $2.3 billion, Spain national rail company RENFE […]
KANSAS CITY — With the recent announcement that Canadian Pacific is acquiring Kansas City Southern, railfans will no doubt be heading to the KCS to capture the last days of the smallest of the Class I railroads. But where should you go to catch the action on such a vast system? Here’s a few highlights, […]
Death toll reaches 50 in Taiwan derailment; construction supervisor arrested, released on bond At least 50 are now dead as a result of Taiwan’s worst train crash in 70 years, which occurred Friday when an express train hit a truck that had slid down an embankment from a building site. Reuters reports the manager of […]
WASHINGTON — Several trade associations, a major agricultural shipper, and Norfolk Southern today asked the Surface Transportation Board to review Canadian Pacific’s proposed acquisition of Kansas City Southern under the more stringent 2001 merger rules. CP and KCS have said they would seek to have the merger reviewed under the old rules, although executives contend […]
