SANDUSKY, Ohio — Cleanup continues but Norfolk Southern’s main line has been reopened though Sandusky following a derailment that led to reroutes and cancellations for Amtrak service. The Sandusky Register reports that the Columbus Avenue underpass, where derailed tank cars of paraffin wax fell to the railway below, remained closed as of Monday, Oct. 10, […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Burlington Northern and the Grain Industry
Sure thing, Angela. Since the Baltimore & Ohio began hauling flour from Ellicott’s Mills to Baltimore in 1830 — grain, flour, and seeds have been an important part of railroading. Grain moved in boxcars for decades, but in the early 1960s, Southern Railway’s new, 100-ton — Big John — covered hopper revolutionized grain […]
Amtrak Wolverine to Chicago delayed more than 13 hours
CHICAGO — Some details have emerged from an ill-fated Friday, Oct. 7, trip of Amtrak Wolverine No. 351, the morning departure from Pontiac, Mich., which arrived in Chicago more than 13 hours late. The trip, scheduled for a trip of 5 hours, 49 minutes with a 10:32 a.m. arrival finally reached Chicago Union station at […]
Advocacy group says MBTA Orange Line service is slower than before maintenance shutdown
BOSTON — Service on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s rapid-transit Orange Line is slower than it was prior to a 30-day shutdown for major repairs, the Boston Herald reports, citing data from Boston-area advocacy group TransitMatters. Combined with service cuts reflecting the agency’s shortage of dispatchers — a response to directives from the Federal Transit […]
BNSF’s new Sandpoint, Idaho, bridge nears opening
SANDPOINT, Idaho — BNSF Railway’s nearly mile-long second bridge across Lake Pend Oreille near Sandpoint is now structurally complete and tracklaying has begun. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent says, “The new bridge will have trains operating over it by the end of November.” Initially, the second main will be laid from a point near the northwest […]
Rail bridge linking Crimea and Russia damaged in major explosion
The nearly 12-mile-long railway bridge connecting Russia with the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia has illegally occupied since 2014, was seriously damaged Saturday, Oct. 8, by an explosion that destroyed part of the parallel road bridge. The explosion occurred just after 6 a.m. local time. The exact cause of the explosion remains unclear although it appears […]
NS derailment blocks line in Ohio, leads to Amtrak detour (updated)
SANDUSKY, Ohio — Ten cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed on a bridge over a street underpass in Sandusky on Saturday, sending tank cars and debris onto the street below and blocking a line used by Amtrak as well as NS trains. WTOL-TV reports the derailment occurred about 4 p.m., closing Columbus Avenue. The […]
Sabotage blamed for disruption to German rail operations
BERLIN — German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn says sabotage shut down its rail network in northern Germany for several hours Saturday, broadcaster DW reports. Investigators said communications cables were cut at one location near Berlin and another in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, leading Interior Minister Mancy Faester to say that officials “have to […]
News photos: Aerial views show extent of Seminole Gulf damage
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Aerial photos from Trains News Wire contributor Sol Tucker provide some indication of the extent of the damage sustained by southwest Florida’s Seminole Gulf Railway as a result of Hurricane Ian. The photos were taken Friday (Oct. 7). Railroad officials said earlier this week that at least a half-dozen bridges on […]
City of New Orleans, Crescent resume seven-day operation
NEW ORLEANS — Amtrak will finally restore daily service to and from New Orleans on the Crescent and City of New Orleans, among the last of the routes that have only offered five-day-a-week operations since service cuts in January. Saturday and Sunday service on both the Chicago-New Orleans City route and the New York-New Orleans […]
After seven days, STB hearings on CP-KCS merger conclude
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board hearings on the proposed Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern merger concluded Friday, Oct. 7, after seven days of testimony from shippers, communities, public officials, and other railroads. CP and KCS said the merger is a perfect fit, will increase competition, create new single-line routes, and provide their customers […]
Pacific Surfliner business-class interiors get upgrade
LOS ANGELES — Travelers who choose business class on the Pacific Surfliner route between San Diego and San Luis Obispo, Calif., have always enjoyed more bang for the extra bucks. That’s because Surfliner’s version includes wine, snack packs, and morning pastries as well as soft drinks, coffee, and juice — all served by an attendant […]