Design firm selected for CREATE Pullman Junction project

Map of rail junction in south Chicago

CHICAGO — Engineering and design firm Benesch has been selected by Norfolk Southern to handle final track design for Segment B of CREATE’s EW3 project, the Pullman Junction project on the city’s South Side. The project will involve track infrastructure in a 2-mile segment from the Belt Railway of Chicago’s Commerical Yard, in the vicinity […]

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U.S. rail traffic dips in September

Weekly table showing U.S. railroad traffic by carload type plus intermodal totals

WASHINGTON — After a brief climb into positive territory in August, U.S. rail traffic once again declined in September, the sixth time in seven months volume has been below 2021 levels. The September figures saw overall traffic drop 3.1%, or 61,678 carloads and intermodal units, compared to September 2021. Carload traffic was down 1.1% while […]

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Montana Rail Link’s BLET employees ratify contract with BNSF Railway

A blue Montana Rail Link train works alongside a river with mountains in the background.

Montana Rail Link employees represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified a contract agreement with BNSF Railway, a key step in BNSF taking over operations of the regional railroad. The union announced Tuesday that “an overwhelming majority of participating BLET members ratified an implementing agreement and Oregon Short Line Protective Agreement […]

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Seminole Gulf Railway faces lengthy closure after hurricane

Map of railroad in southwest Florida

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Florida’s Seminole Gulf Railway could be shut down for up to six months because of damage suffered from Hurricane Ian, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports. Executive Vice President Robert Fay told the Business Journal the railroad had lost six bridges as a result of the storm, including three totaling 1,300 linear […]

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Registration opens for WRI ’23

Logo of WRI 2023

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Registration has opened for WRI 2023, the 28th annual Wheel Rail Interaction Conference, to be held June 6-9, 2023, at the Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot. Trains Magazine is a presenting sponsor for the event. The conference consists of three events: a one-day Rail Transit seminar on June 6, a one-day Principles […]

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Train dispatchers ratify Class I railroad contract agreement

WASHINGTON — Train dispatchers today became the fourth union to ratify their contract agreement with the Class I railroads. The American Train Dispatchers Association, which represents 1,500 dispatchers, voted in favor of the deal by a 64%-36% margin, the union said in a statement. The agreement follows the recommendations of the Presidential Emergency Board, which […]

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GATX to buy 15,000 railcars from Trinity Rail

Logo of rail equipment leasing firm GATX

CHICAGO — GATX Corp. will purchase 15,000 new railcars, including at least 6,000 tank cars, from Trinity Industries subsidiary Trinity Rail in 2023 through 2028, with an option for an additional 500 in each of those years. Trinity’s announcement said the deal is valued at $1.8 billion. The agreement announced Monday calls for 1,200 tank […]

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STB gets an earful about KCS-NS Meridian Speedway joint venture

NS9656

WASHINGTON – Surface Transportation Board members appear skeptical about CSX Transportation’s bid to force its way on to the Kansas City Southern-Norfolk Southern Meridian Speedway. The Meridian Speedway — which runs from Meridian, Miss., to Shreveport, La., — is the shortest, fastest route between the Southeast and Southwest. NS and KCS formed the Meridian Speedway […]

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Class I railroads’ chemical carload growth continues amid economic uncertainty: Analysis

Blue and yellow locomotives with a string of tank cars

CHICAGO — U.S. Class I railroads continue hauling more chemicals than before, an area of growth even though higher interest rates are raising fears that the U.S. economy could begin contracting. Railroads’ diverse chemicals portfolio supports manufacturing, automotive, energy, and a hodgepodge of other industries, indicative that growth within this carload segment is generally a […]

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