WAUKESHA, Wis. — The offices of Trains Magazine, Trains.com, and other Kalmbach Media publications will be closing for the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of the work day today (Tuesday, Nov. 22) to allow staff members more time to enjoy the holiday with family and friends. Expect posts on Trains News Wire to be limited […]
Train Topic: Rail Industry
Fort Wayne historical society adds CP dome-lounge-observation
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society has acquired a Canadian Pacific Park-series dome-lounge-observation car built in 1954 for use in excursion service. While plans are for the car to undergo an extensive restoration, it will initially enter service as part of the society’s Indiana Rail Experience program on the Indiana Northeastern […]
Norfolk Southern to buy CNO&TP line from city of Cincinnati for $1.6 billion
CINCINNATI — Norfolk Southern has agreed to purchase the assets of the Cincinnati Southern Railway, the municipally owned railroad that forms the 336-mile Chattanooga-Cincinnati backbone of NS’s key corridor linking Chicago with Atlanta and the Southeast. Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, the municipal railway board, and NS today announced the proposed sale of the Cincinnati Southern […]
Montana Rail Link seeks regulatory permission to terminate lease with BNSF Railway
WASHINGTON — Montana Rail Link has moved one step closer to closing up shop and turning over its operations to BNSF Railway. MRL on Nov. 18 asked federal regulators for permission to discontinue service over 656.47 miles of track in Montana and Idaho as part of the early termination of its lease with BNSF, according […]
Conductors reject contract agreement, while engineers ratify deal with Class I railroads
Engineers and conductors have rendered a split decision in their respective union votes over the tentative agreements reached with the U.S. Class I railroads, the unions said this morning. By the slimmest of margins, conductors represented by the SMART-TD union rejected the deal, fueling the prospects of a nationwide strike that could begin as soon […]
Washington, Iowa, accepts CP offer for funds to address merger
WASHINGTON, Iowa — The city of Washington has become the latest to accept an offer from Canadian Pacific for funds to address impacts of its potential merger with Kansas City Southern, approving a deal worth at least $255,000 at its most recent city council meeting The Southeast Iowa Union reported today (Monday, Nov. 21) that […]
Canadian legislation includes new rail security mandates
OTTAWA — The Canadian government would gain new abilities to require railroads to create security management systems, and to grant or cancel transportation security clearances, under a proposed set of legislative amendments introduced last week by Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra. Those authorities and others are part of the Strengthening the Port System and Railway […]
GAO report finds FRA’s close-call program is underused, with reporting of results lacking
WASHINGTON — Few railroads participate in a voluntary Federal Railroad Administration program to report situations that could have resulted in serious accidents, and those that do find notable flaws in the program, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The report summary notes that as of August 2022, only 23 of the […]
Wabtec to acquire Brazilian maintenance equipment firm Super Metal
PITTSBURGH — Wabtec has reached agreement to acquire Super Metal, a leading Brazilian supplier of automated vehicles and other maintenance-of-way equipment. Wabtec describes the deal as complementing its 2021 acquisition of U.S. maintenance equipment manufacturer Nordco [see “Wabtec to acquire …,” Trains News Wire, March 23, 2021] and accelerating its strategy of expansion into international […]
TSA appoints members to surface transportation security committee
WASHINGTON — Representatives of a broad range of rail industry interests are among the 25 voting members appointed to the Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee, as announced last week by the Transportation Security Administration. The committee was established in 2019 to advise the TSA administrator on matters including recommendations for development and implementation of policies, […]
Weekly U.S. rail traffic remains down
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was down for the week ending Nov. 12, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. The total of 490,350 carloads and intermodal units represented a 2.5% decrease from the corresponding week in 2021, with the 235,474 carloads representing a 0.2% drop while the 254,876 containers and trailers were […]
Norfolk Southern offers to buy Cincinnati-owned route to Chattanooga
CINCINNATI — Norfolk Southern has offered to buy the Cincinnati Southern Railway, the route owned by the city of Cincinnati that it currently leases, for more than $1.6 billion. A meeting to consider the sale will be held Monday, Nov. 21, according to the Cincinnati Southern website. The meeting, set for 1 p.m. EST in […]