NS, CN, and KCS are hiring conductors to meet rising traffic demand

Black locomotives followed by cars carrying truck trailers

WASHINGTON – The chief executives of Norfolk Southern, Canadian National, and Kansas City Southern have told federal regulators that their railroads are hiring conductors to meet expected traffic demand as volume continues to rise. Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman, responding to shipper complaints about rail service as traffic has rebounded from the pandemic, […]

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Digest: MARC commuter trains to resume full schedule in August

MARC commuter rail logo

After nine months of reduced service, full MARC schedule to resume Aug. 30 MARC commuter trains will resume full operations on Aug. 30, nine months after reducing service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Baltimore Sun reports that Maryland Transit Adminstration officials announced the restoration of MARC and commuter bus service on Monday, while […]

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Digest: Union asks regulators to block CN-KCS voting trust

SMART-TD union logo

SMART-TD union asks STB to reject voting trust for CN-KCS deal A major rail union has asked the Surface Transportation Board to reject Canadian National’s request for a voting trust for its merger with Kansas City Southern. Jeremy Ferguson, president of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers, Transportation Division, says […]

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Chemical shippers cite widespread rail service problems, particularly on CSX (updated)

Unit oil train passes passenger station with ground covered with snow

WASHINGTON — The trade association representing chemical shippers has asked federal regulators to put CSX Transportation under increased scrutiny due to what one company called an “operations meltdown.” Members of the American Chemistry Council reported “significant and persistent” railroad service problems, particularly with CSX. But Kansas City Southern and Norfolk Southern also were cited for […]

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General Electric C44-9W profile

Freight trains with orange diesel locomotives pass on curve

General Electric’s 4,400 hp C44-9Ws were, by far, the most popular D.C. traction locomotives the company every produced, with almost 3,600 copies built for North American customers. Sales began in the early 1990s just as A.C. traction was taking hold in the industry. Many railroads were still either wary of the new A.C. technology and […]

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Before the whiteout

Black, red, and yellow diesel locomotive on passenger train

Before the whiteout Wearing the handsome yellow, black, and red Kansas City Southern passenger-diesel livery, E8 No. 28 is at Sallisaw, Okla., with the New Orleans-Kansas City Southern Belle in June 1962. KCS began using a version of this paint scheme, introduced with the Belle in 1940. The railroad later went to all-red and all-white […]

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Digest: FRA, FTA release key documents on Gateway tunnel project

Amtrak train coming out of tunnel

Release of environmental report, Record of Decision allows Gateway tunnel project to move forward The Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Transit Administration have issued the final Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision on the Gateway tunnel project under the Hudson River, which clears the way for the project to receive federal funding.  “This […]

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