STB orders BNSF to haul more coal for Powder River Basin company

orange locomotive and train comes around curve in Wyoming

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators today ordered BNSF Railway to haul more coal from Navajo Transitional Energy Co.’s Spring Creek mine in Montana to tidewater in British Columbia. The Surface Transportation Board’s 3-2 decision, which stemmed from a common-carrier complaint and emergency service order request from the coal producer, requires BNSF to transport 4.2 million tons […]

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Amtrak, BNSF seek closure of Seattle street for yard expansion

Aerial view of street running through railroad yard

SEATTLE — Amtrak and BNSF Railway are asking the city of Seattle to close a section of a street near the Seattle Mariners’ ballpark in the city’s Sodo neighborhood to expand the passenger carrier’s maintenance facility and eliminate a busy grade crossing. The Seattle Times reports the proposal would close South Holgate Street, which splits […]

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NTSB says slack action was probable cause of BNSF yard fatality

Aerial photo of railroad yard with accident notations

WASHINGTON — Slack action was the probable cause of the Feb. 9, 2022, death of a BNSF Railway remote control operator helper who fell from the front platform of his locomotive in Denver, the National Transportation Safety Board said today. “Surveillance video evidence reviewed by NTSB investigators shows slack action in the train consist at […]

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Five scenic highlights aboard Amtrak’s ‘California Zephyr’

While the California Zephyr name continues today under the Amtrak banner, much has changed since the final run of the streamlined predecessor in 1970. What hasn’t changed since the original 1949 debut is the premise from vintage advertisements to “look up, look down, and look all around” when taking the Chicago-Emeryville, Calif. trip. Especially when […]

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BNSF Railway sets date for taking control of Montana Rail Link

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

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway aims to take over Montana Rail Link operations on Jan. 1, 2024. Federal regulators in March approved the early termination of Montana Rail Link’s lease of the former Northern Pacific main line between Jones Junction, Mont., and Sandpoint, Idaho. Although the Surface Transportation Board’s green light meant that BNSF […]

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Union, West Coast ports announce new labor deal

Two trains work with container lifts for ships in distance

SAN FRANCISCO — The Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union have reached a tentative labor agreement covering 29 West Coast ports, ending more than a year of negotiations in a dispute that had seen work stoppages at major ports of entry. The settlement has major implications for the rail industry given the […]

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The Atlas O Multi-Max autorack

Atlas O Multi-Max autorack in Kansas City Southern paint

The Atlas O Master Gunderson Multi-Max Auto Carrier is out after an almost two-year wait. The company announced the newly tooled cars in its Summer 2021 catalog. For modern operator-collectors with the real estate on their layout, having an autorack train is a virtual must. Before the announcement of these the only scale option was […]

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BNSF derailment in Arizona leads to Southwest Chief cancellations

Aerial view of derailed auto racks

WILLIAMS, Ariz. — Twenty-three cars of a BNSF Railway train carrying new vehicles derailed east of Williams, Ariz., Thursday night, leading to cancellation of Amtrak Southwest Chief service through the area today, KAFF Radio reports. The derailment involving a 167-car train occurred about 11:20 p.m., according to Coconino County Emergency Management. A BNSF representative told […]

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