OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific once again will meter traffic to limit congestion if certain customers don’t voluntarily reduce the number of private freight cars operating on the railroad. UP informed shippers last week, Trains News Wire has learned. “Union Pacific regularly reviews our network to monitor for elevated inventory,” UP spokeswoman Robynn Tysver says. […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Amtrak extends suspension of Missouri River Runner
ST. LOUIS – Amtrak has extended to Dec. 4 the suspension of one of the Missouri River Rail Runner round trips between St. Louis and Kansas City. The suspension began Oct. 24 and was scheduled to end Nov. 16. An Amtrak spokesman told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the suspension is due to continued delays in […]
BNSF opens bypass around Minnesota city
WILLMAR, Minn. – BNSF Railway has opened a new 2.8-mile wye track west of Willmar that allows trains to bypass the city. Referred to as the “Willmar Bypass” the new track links BNSF’s busy Marshall Subdivision and its Morris Subdivision, the former Great Northern mainline. It allows eastbound Morris Subdivision trains to head onto the […]
Amtrak long-distance capacity to remain tight through 2023
WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s Vice President of Long-Distance Service, Larry Chestler, said the company will be without more than a tenth of its equipment for those operations during the current fiscal year, which began in September. Participating in a Rail Passengers Association webinar on Tuesday, Chestler also reviewed the status of onboard dining, workforce hiring, internal […]
Canadian Pacific’s hydrogen-powered locomotive makes first revenue run
NEW YORK — Canadian Pacific’s experimental hydrogen-powered locomotive made its maiden revenue run last month in Calgary, Alberta, taking the first step in determining whether the technology could one day replace diesel-electric locomotives. “I’ll tell you, the excitement around it, the potential of it, is real,” CEO Keith Creel told the RailTrends conference on Tuesday. […]
Boilermakers’ union becomes third to reject tentative contract deal
ARLINGTON, Va. — The boilermakers’ union that represents 300 railroad workers has rejected their tentative agreement with the U.S. Class I systems, becoming the third labor organization to give a new contract a thumbs down. The union announced today that its members rejected the contract that had been based on the recommendations of the Presidential […]
Brightline to resume 110-mph testing in two Florida counties on Friday
ORLANDO, Fla. — Brightline will resume 110-mph testing of its passenger trains in Florida’s Martin and St. Lucie counties beginning this Friday, Nov. 18, the company has announced. Testing is scheduled Friday through Sunday, Nov. 20, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Flaggers and law enforcement officers will be present at five grade crossings during […]
Metra will continue $100 monthly passes, other discount fares for 2023
CHICAGO — Metra’s board of directors has voted to maintain its current special post-pandemic fare discounts — a $100 flat-rate “Super Saver” monthly pass and $10 and $6 day passes — through the end of 2023 as part of the operating budget for the coming year approved on Friday. The current fare structure was one […]
News photo: CSX derailment near Toledo, Ohio
OREGON, Ohio — Ten railcars of corn from a CSX Transportation train derailed early Friday (Nov. 11) near the Port of Toledo, the Toledo Blade reports. The accident occurred at Ironville Junction, near Oregon’s border with Toledo, about 1:15 a.m. The derailment blocked CSX trackage on the Toledo Terminal Subdivision, the primary gateway to Michigan, […]
Regulators seek comment on issues surrounding CP-CN Chicago interchange dispute
A Canadian Pacific manifest freight heads through Deerfield, Ill., on July 3, 2022. David Lassen WASHINGTON — The long-running Chicago interchange dispute between Canadian National and Canadian Pacific is back in the spotlight again. The Surface Transportation Board last month said the case raises broad issues regarding interchange practices. And so it’s seeking input from […]
Outdoors group seeks to block sale of San Luis & Rio Grande to OmniTRAX
ALAMOSA, Colo. — An outdoors group has filed an objection to plans by OmniTRAX to buy the bankrupt San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad, saying it will permanently damage the group’s effort to expand recreational trails in Colorado’s San Luis Valley along the railroad’s right-of-way. The Mineral County Miner reports San Luis Valley Great Outdoors […]
San Clemente hillside still moving; installation of ground anchors to begin
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — The unstable slope along the rail line used by Amtrak and Metrolink trains in south Orange County continues to move, but excavation is scheduled to begin today (Friday, Nov. 11) for the installation of ground anchors to stabilize the hillside, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Passenger service on the Surf Line […]