BARSTOW, Calif. — BNSF Railway has announced plans for what it is calling the first master-planned rail facility built by a Class I railroad — costing more than $1.5 billion and including a rail yard, intermodal facility, and warehouses for transloading from international to domestic containers. The Barstow International Gateway, to be on the west […]
Train Topic: Rail Industry
UP, BNSF say CP-KCS merger traffic will melt down Houston terminal
WASHINGTON – Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern executives say there’s plenty of capacity in Houston to handle the eight additional trains per day they’ll run through the busy terminal within three years after their merger. But Union Pacific and BNSF Railway told federal regulators, in testimony Thursday and Friday, that they have grave concerns […]
Regulators add three days to CP-KCS hearing
WASHINGTON – The three-day Surface Transportation Board hearing on the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger has ballooned to a six-day hearing. Testimony and questioning are taking longer than anticipated, STB Chairman Martin J. Oberman said at the start of the session this morning (Friday, Sept. 30) , which had been scheduled to be the […]
What’s the one thing Amtrak and freight railroads have in common?
Railroads have what you could call a one-train problem. That is to say they offer but one daily departure from Point A to Point B. A case in point is Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian, which links New York City and Pittsburgh. Earlier this month I wanted to ride Amtrak to a rail shippers conference in the Steel […]
Canadian National warns regulators that CP-KCS merger could hurt service and competition
WASHINGTON — Canadian National, which lost the battle for Kansas City Southern to rival Canadian Pacific last year, tried to plant seeds of doubt about the CP-KCS merger in lengthy testimony before federal regulators on Thursday. CN was critical of the operating plan CP and KCS prepared, telling the Surface Transportation Board that it was […]
Duncan to lead Norfolk Southern’s combined Transportation, Network Operations organization
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern is revising its managerial structure, creating a combined Transportation and Network Operations organization to be led by Paul B. Duncan. Duncan, who is being promoted to senior vice president, transportation and network operations, will lead a team responsible for designing network operations, executing network plans, and coordinating train movements, the railroad […]
FRA study sees issues with locomotive cab automation
WASHINGTON — A Federal Railroad Administration-sponsored study on the use of locomotive cab automation systems found human errors occurred in three of 10 sessions in a locomotive simulator, and recommends further training on the systems for engineers, conductors and dispatchers. The study, “Human Error Analyses Associated with Locomotive Cab Automation,” also calls for further study […]
HDR gets design contract for UP-led portion of CREATE 80th Street project
CHICAGO — Union Pacific has selected engineering firm HDR to provide final track design and engineering work for the UP-led portion of the 80th Street Junction Replacement project, part of the CREATE program’s larger 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project. HRD will produce design for relocation of two Union Pacific mainline tracks between 80th Street and […]
Senator introduces bill to address common-carrier rules
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced a bill this week seeking to better define railroads’ common-carrier rules and establishing criteria for the Surface Transportation Board to consider when assessing complaints about service issues, as well as a timeline to do so. Baldwin says in a press release that the “Reliable Rail Service Act,” introduced […]
Canada’s government, railroads to assist Ukraine’s rail industry
MONTREAL — The Canadian government and Canada’s railway industry will work to support reconstruction and operation of Ukraine’s rail and other transportation infrastructure, the government and the Railway Association of Canada announced Wednesday. The announcement includes formation of a working group involving the governments of both countries, the RAC — on behalf of railways including […]
Belt Railway seeks signal-design proposals for CREATE’s 75th Street project
CHICAGO — The Belt Railway of Chicago has issued a Request for Proposals for preliminary signal design services for two portions of the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project, a major element of the CREATE Project on the city’s South Side. The proposal will cover Projects EW2 and P2. EW2 realigns Belt Junction, where four freight railroadsand […]
Weekly rail traffic figure take another dip
WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic showed another significant drop for the week ending Sept. 24, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Total volume for the week was 489,111 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.4% decrease from the same week in 2021. Since the figures for the week ending Sept. 3 showed […]