Union Pacific reports higher volume, revenue, and profits

Yellow locomotives leading train of double-stacked containers over bridge

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific’s third-quarter financial results – with volume, revenue, and profits all on the upswing — are proof that the railroad’s strategy is working, CEO Jim Vena says. UP this morning (Oct. 24) reported that operating income increased 11%, to $2.46 billion, as revenue grew 3%, to $6 billion. Earnings per share […]

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Bridge collapses on flood-damaged Norfolk Southern line

Bridge over river, bent in middle of span

NEWPORT, Tenn. — A trestle on Norfolk Southern’s storm-closed AS Line in Tennessee collapsed Wednesday, leading to a series of road closures, Newport police reported. Three roads are closed until further notice as a result of the collapse of the bridge over the Pigeon River, the police said in a Facebook post. The NS line […]

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CPKC earnings grow despite Canadian work stoppage

Freshly painted red and black diesels with gold trim and white letters

CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s third-quarter profits and revenue increased despite the impact of the four-day work stoppage in Canada, the railway reported on Wednesday. Quarterly operating income rose 3%, to $870 million, as revenue increased 6%, to $2.56 billion. Earnings per share increased 7%, to 65 cents. CPKC’s operating ratio increased 1.2 […]

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Weekly U.S. rail volume shows slight gain

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic showed a modest gain for the week ending Oct. 19, 2024. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, volume was 510,730 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.1% increase over the same week in 2023. That includes 223,278 carloads, down 4.6% from a year ago, and 287,452 containers […]

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New York MTA faces new budget shortfalls, state comptroller says

Electric multiple-unit commuter train passes through station

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which until recently said its budget was balanced through 2026, faces a budget shortfall of $211 million this year, the New York State Comptroller said in a report issued Wednesday. That would rise to $652 million by 2028, the report says, and there are variables that could make […]

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Crichlow appointed president of New York City Transit

Smiling man in suit

NEW YORK — Demetrius Crichlow, who has been serving as interim president of New York City Transit for the past four months, was appointed to the position on a permanent basis today (Wednesday, Oct. 23) by Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber. Crichlow becomes the 12th president of the MTA department overseeing New York’s subways, […]

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Stadler to build light rail trainsets for Salt Lake City

Side-view illustration of white light-rail vehicle with red and blue trim

SALT LAKE CITY — Stadler and the Utah Transit Authority have signed a contract calling for construction of up to 80 new light rail vehicles for UTA’s TRAX service in the Salt Lake City area. The contract signed today (Oct. 23, 2024) following approval by the UTA board of trustees includes an initial $129 million […]

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Resurrecting unused locomotives

Photo of weathered dark blue six-axle road unit on white background

There are many reasons you might need to bring a locomotive back to life. Here are some tips for resurrecting unused locomotives. Disassembly The first thing you’ll need to do is to get inside the locomotive shell. Maybe you’re lucky enough to have an exploded-view diagram of your model. If not, you can check the […]

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Meet Michael Tylick

A silver and red toy train locomotive in front of a city skyline on a toy train layout

My first train set (or locomotive) was…? When I was quite young, my parents bought me a secondhand Christmas train set. My best recollection is that it was probably a Marx set with strange couplers and lithographed tinplate sides. There was a small 0-4-0 steamer, a silver Gulf Oil tank car, a tan baby Ruth […]

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Mobile groundbreaking yields no news on start for Amtrak Gulf Coast service

Architectural drawings of train station platform

MOBILE, Ala. — Two ongoing questions about Amtrak’s Gulf Coast service — when it will begin and what the New Orleans-Mobile trains will be called — remained unanswered during a Tuesday, Oct. 22, groundbreaking ceremony for a station platform and layover track in Mobile. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Amit Bose […]

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CSX announces tentative deals with two unions, ratification of agreement by yardmasters

CSX logo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has reached new tentative five-year deals with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers. The railroad also announced ratification of an agreement with yardmasters represented by the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD). “The new tentative agreements […]

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