CHICAGO — Commuter rail operator Metra would simplify its fare structure — but replace or eliminate some passes introduced since the COVID-19 pandemic— under a new proposal for 2024. The proposal was unveiled Wednesday, and the commuter operator is now seeking public comment. Metra says the intent of the plan is to create an easily […]
GATINEAU, Quebec — Rail accidents and other incidents in Canada increased in 2022 from 2021, but remain below the level of the 10-year average, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in its annual review of transportation statistics released on Wednesday. The review of events reported to the TSB across all modes of transportation also […]
KARRATHA, Australia — Mining company Rio Tinto has reopened the Western Australia rail line that had been shut down by the derailment of an autonomous train hauling iron ore, with a company official telling the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that autonomous operation was not a factor. About 30 cars derailed on Saturday of a train moving […]
WORCESTER, Mass. — When Trains Magazine wrote about baseball parks near railroad tracks (“High iron baseball,” June 2023), one of the qualifications for the article was the ability to see trains pass from within the ballpark. Worcester’s Polar Park didn’t make the magazine — although it’s in this Trains.com article — but it’s clear it […]
AUSTIN, Texas — CapMetro commuter rail service will be suspended from Wednesday, July 5, to Friday, July 14, the transit agency has announced, to allow for maintenance along the rail road and work on McKalla Station, a new stop near Q2 Stadium, the home of Austin’s Major League Soccer team. That station is scheduled to […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 17 was one of the mildest weekly declines this year, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Overall traffic was 477,126 carloads and intermodal units, down just 3% from the same week in 2022. That included 228,724 carloads, up 1.2%, and 248,402 containers […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — With a display of civic support from mayors along its route, Brightline has celebrated completion of construction on its route to Orlando, as well as the contribution its employees have made in forging a unique passenger rail operation. The event today (Wednesday, June 21) at Brightline’s Orlando International Airport station comes as […]
WASHINGTON — A new proposal from the federal government would require railroads to maintain updated electronic information on hazardous materials in train consists, and to transmit that information to local first responders as soon as the railroad is aware of an incident. The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration announced the proposed […]
EAST PALESTINE — East Palestine’s city council has approved a master plan for revitalizing the city’s main park, a project being funded entirely by Norfolk Southern. The park improvements are expected to cost more than $25 million, bringing the railroad’s total financial commitment to the community since the Feb. 3 derailment to approximately $62 million, […]
CALGARY, Alberta — A global operator of temperature-controlled warehouses will locate facilities along the CPKC network, the railway and Americold Realty Trust announced on Wednesday. The first cold storage facility under the collaboration deal will be built in Kansas City, Mo., which is on the route of CPKC’s new Mexico Midwest Express intermodal service linking […]
WASHINGTON — Members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation struck two disparate themes during a hearing today (Wednesday, June 21) for three nominees for Amtrak’s board of directors. One, they remain concerned that President Joe Biden’s board nominees board do not meet a geographic-balance requirement. Two, the desire remains strong on the […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — The Brotherhood of Railway Carmen Division has joined with BNSF Railway to support an effort to further use of technology analyzing the health of railcar brake systems. The union is joining with the railroad to support a request to the Federal Railroad Administration to expand a test waiver for the Brake […]
