ANACORTES, Wash. — BNSF Railway violated terms of an easement agreement with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community by running 100-car trains of crude oil across the Swinomish reservation in Anacortes for years, a federal judge ruled Monday. The Seattle Times reports that U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik said in a written order Monday that […]
Section: News Wire
CN, logistics, shipping firms to open new Calgary transload facility
CALGARY — Canadian National, logistics firm Kaptan and Montship Inc., Canada’s largest steamship agency, have announced plans for an intermodal transload facility to be built in CN’s Calgary Logistics Park. The facility, announced Monday, is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2024. It will provide a location to transload imports into 53-foot […]
Canada’s Auditor General says VIA Rail, transportation agencies must do more to address barriers for those with disabilities
OTTAWA — A report from Canada’s auditor general says VIA Rail Canada and federal agencies have taken steps to address barriers by travelers with disabilities, but additional work will be required to achieve the government’s goal of barrier-free travel. “While we found progress in some areas, many barriers remained,” Auditor General Karen said in a […]
Gulf & Atlantic buys three Midwestern short lines
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Gulf & Atlantic Railways will acquire three railroads operating in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio — the Chesapeake & Indiana, Vermilion Valley and Camp Chase — from Midwest & Bluegrass rail, the company announced Monday. The railroads involved are: — The Chesapeake & Indiana (CKIN), a 28-mile line in northwest Indiana, with connections […]
CP derailment in North Dakota spills hazardous materials (updated)
WYNDMERE, N.D. — Thirty-one cars of a 70-car Canadian Pacific train derailed late Sunday in rural North Dakota, spilling liquid asphalt, KVRR-TV reports. Richland County Emergency Manager Brett Lambrecht told the station 31 cars derailed and that while the liquid asphalt is flammable, it cools and solidifies in the snow at the derailment scene, decreasing […]
Runaway UP ore train derails in California desert (updated)
KELSO, Calif. — Two locomotives and 55 cars of a runaway Union Pacific train carrying iron ore derailed near the Mojave Desert community of Kelso today (Monday, March 27), officials from the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District reported. Union Pacific spokesman Mike Jaixen has confirmed that there was “uncontrolled train movement” of the southbound […]
Eng, former LIRR president, to become new MBTA general manager
BOSTON — Former Long Island Rail Road President Phillip Eng will become the new general manager of the problem-plagued Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced Eng’s selection in a statement today, saying Eng “is the proven leader the MBTA needs to improve safety and reliability across the system and restore the public’s […]
Letters of opposition trigger hearing on Lac-Mégantic land acquisitions
MONTREAL — A coalition opposed to construction of the Lac-Mégantic rail bypass has delivered almost 1,500 letters contesting the Canadian government’s expropriation of land for the project to the agency in charge of the process. The French-language newspaper La Presse Canadienne initially reported the protest in an article published in English by the Montreal Gazette. […]
Metrorail safety commission investigating improper use of automated operating system
WASHINGTON — The independent body which oversees safety matters for the DC Metrorail system is investigating an incident in which a train operator improperly used Metrorail’s automated operating system, and is working to determine if other operators have done so, as well. The Washington Post reports the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission is looking into a […]
Amtrak service begins to return as server data issue clears up
CHICAGO — Amtrak departures from Chicago began at mid-morning today (Sunday, March 26) following two days of widespread cancellations because engineers couldn’t register, or initialize, trains in the interoperable positive train control system shared with host railroads. The impact of those cancellations will reverberate for days because equipment isn’t available to return to Chicago. Today’s […]
Amtrak PTC server meltdown continues
CHICAGO — Amtrak’s PTC issues have stretched into a third day and is leading to widespread National Network cancellations, although the company no longer has a notification of the problem on the front page of its website. As of 8:15 a.m. CDT today (Sunday, March 26), the Amtrak Alerts Twitter feed is listing the following […]
MBTA sets April service outages for track repairs
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has announced a significant number of service disruptions in April for track work to address speed restrictions on its rail rapid transit network, as well as some commuter rail work. No work is planned the weekend of April 15-16 because of anticipated increased ridership for Boston Marathon events. […]