Little rail content in platform of Canada’s Conservative Party

Two men walking in front of tank cars

OTTAWA, Ontario — Rail projects and the rail industry get little attention in the 30-page policy platform released Tuesday by Canada’s Conservative Party ahead of national elections to be held April 28. The platform for the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, highlights a promise of a 15% cut in income taxes, cutting the federal budget […]

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Trackside bed and breakfasts

There’s a certain satisfaction waking up in a comfortable bed trackside. I’ve always liked being near the railroad overnight. Growing up atop a hill in Monson, Mass, a mile and half from the Central Vermont Railway’s Palmer Subdivision, I’d listen to its freights ascending State Line Hill on the run south of Palmer, Mass., and […]

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Trails and Rails program adds Adirondack and Cardinal for 2025

Two men in National Park Service uniforms sitting at table in passenger car

WASHINGTON — The National Park Service has firmed up this year’s Trails and Rails program, which features volunteers offering commentary and one-on-one discussions with passengers aboard regional and long-distance Amtrak trains. “We’re 25 years strong, and looking forward to our upcoming season,” NPS Volunteer Partnerships Coordinator Jim Miculka tells Trains News Wire. A particularly scenic […]

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Diagnosing a stubborn diesel

Color photo showing HO scale diesel by white paper towel with streaks of dirt on it.

Q: I recently started working again on my HO scale layout, which features a Digitrax Super Chief Starter Set and Bachmann E-Z Track. I cleaned all of the track and have been testing locomotives. One of the units, an Athearn Genesis HO scale Electro-Motive Division GP38 that has not been used in some time, will […]

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FRA, Amtrak revise plans for rehabilitation of Dock Bridge

Aerial view of steel railroad lift bridge

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak will cut some elements from a planned rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor’s Dock Bridge over the Passaic River in New Jersey, reducing the cost of the project by $140 million. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a press release that “refocusing” the project “will fast-track a […]

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Big Steam and PTC: A Reset Stage

Steam locomotive rounds curve on a rainy day

The rumble of Canadian Pacific’s 4-6-4 Empress No. 2816 and Union Pacific’s 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4014 echoed across thousands of miles in 2024. What made these journeys truly remarkable and deserving a brighter spotlight? Both locomotives were equipped with fully compliant, standalone Positive Train Control (PTC) systems. This means they can independently navigate their […]

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A historic roundhouse and a new building: More from the Rhatische Bahn shops

Roundhouse with construction crane in background and new structure at right

Second of two parts. Part one is available here. LANDQUART, Switzerland — After winding through a number of other buildings, the tour of the Rhatische Bahn’s main shops by Markus Zaugg, the railroad’s head of rolling stock, eventually wound its way to the 19-stall roundhouse Zaugg says is “probably the most famous railway spot in […]

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Supreme Court declines to review CSX suit against Norfolk Southern

Aerial view of rail yard and container cranes at dock

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down CSX Transportation’s effort to revive an antitrust lawsuit against Norfolk Southern over access at the port of Norfolk, Va. Reuters reports that the court on Monday (April 21) announced it would decline to hear the case, dismissed last August by a lower court. The 4th U.S. […]

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Transportation secretary threatens to block New York highway projects unless congestion pricing ends

Street sign for New York congestion pricing zone

WASHINGTON — In the newest chapter of the ongoing battle between the Trump administration and state of New York over congestion pricing, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the federal government could block federal approval for highway projects if the Metropolitan Transportation Authority does not end the tolling program. In a letter today to New […]

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BNSF and Union Pacific at odds over Tehachapi trackage rights rates

WASHINGTON — Every day Union Pacific and BNSF Railway trains battle gravity and curvature as they wind their way up and down the former Southern Pacific main line through the rugged Tehachapi Mountains of Southern California. Now UP and BNSF are engaged in a different sort of fight: The railroads have been unable to come […]

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Three unions ratify deals with Santa Clara VTA

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority logo

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority announced three of its four unions have ratified new contracts, while negotiations continue with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265. Agreements have been reached with Service Employees International Union Local 521, representing more than 300 workers in information technology, communications and finane; the American Federation […]

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