WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth (both D-Ill.) met with Canadian National Railway CEO Tracy Robinson on Tuesday to discuss the railroad’s involvement in the Chicago Hub Improvement Program, the plan to modernize Chicago Union Station and rail routes leading to the station. U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Chicago) also participated in the […]
CHICAGO — Passengers who drifted in to the westbound California Zephyr’s crowded Sightseer Lounge leaving Chicago on Tuesday found themselves in the middle of an Amtrak-sponsored onboard event commemorating the first runs of the original Burlington-Rio Grande-Western Pacific streamliner on March 20, 1949. They were treated to an informative lecture by Thomas Whitt, director and […]
PRINCETON, Ill. — Amtrak marked the 75th anniversary of the launch of the California Zephyr today (Tuesday, March 19) with ceremonies in Chicago, Princeton, and Galesburg, Ill., as well as onboard today’s westbound departure from Chicago. In Princeton, at least 50 people were on hand when the train arrived to sing “Happy Anniversary” for the […]
Pacifics and passenger diesels mingle outside Chicago & North Western’s Chicago Passenger Terminal during the afternoon rush hour in the early 1950s. Wallace W. Abbey photo […]
CINCINNATI — The city of Cincinnati’s sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern has been completed. Paul Muething, president of the Cincinnati Southern board of trustees, said in a statement available on the railway website that the board received the $1.6 billion payment from NS, plus $20 million in deferred transaction fees, on […]
WOODSTOCK, Ill. — Metra will hold an open house meeting in Woodstock on Thursday, March 21, to discuss plans for a new layover yard for the Union Pacific Northwest Line planned near the community in McHenry County, The meeting will be Thursday, March 21, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Woodstock Opera House […]
LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Transportation has awarded $5 million to CSX Transportation to upgrade the railroad’s Detroit Livernois Intermodal Facility, the agency announced today (Friday, March 15). Improvements will include paving what is currently a dirt and gravel yard, which will help limit dust blown into surrounding neighborhoods. CSX is contributing $6.7 […]
CELINA, Ohio — An enginehouse for R.J. Corman Western Ohio Lines was severely damaged and a warehouse was also damaged Thursday night when a tornado struck in Celina, a community of about 11,000 people in Mercer County. Nearby Auglaize and Logan counties were also struck by the storms. Logan County was the hardest hit, with […]
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Dieselization came late to the Milwaukee County Zoo’s railroad, but it has arrived. The zoo announced today (Thursday, March 14), that it has sold the two steam locomotives for its 1.25-mile, 15-inch gauge railroad — No. 1916, the Henry J. Grant, a 4-4-2 built in 1961, and No. 1924, a 4-6-2 built […]
WASHINGTON — Projects in Illinois, Louisiana, and North Carolina have received a total of $900,000 in planning and development funding under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Interstate Rail Compacts grant program, the FRA announced today (Thursday, March 14). Compacts are agreements between two or more states to support development of intercity passenger rail services that can […]
ST. LOUIS — Siemens Mobility will build 55 new battery hybrid S200 high-floor light rail vehicles for the Metro Transit system, replacing the oldest vehicles in the MetroLink light rail system, the company has announced. Bi-State Development, operator of Metro Transit, selected Siemens, which previously built the system’s SD400 and SD460 LRVs in orders beginning […]
WATERLOO, Iowa — The city of Waterloo has received a $750,000 grant to begin preparations for possible relocation Canadian National Railway’s yard from downtown Waterloo to outside of town, along with other rail projects to improve safety, traffic flow, and pedestrian access. The project will be funded from the Department of Transportation’s Neighborhood Access and […]
