PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The new seasonal rail service between Pittsfield, Mass., and New York City is scheduled to operate during summer weekends this year and again in 2023. Amtrak and local transportation officials will evaluate the demand, determining if the pilot project should be continued. “We are pleased to work together with our partner agencies […]
Train Topic: Rail Industry
Canadian regulators propose more detailed requirements for reporting railroad performance metrics
OTTAWA, Ontario – Class I railroads operating in Canada would be required to report additional performance and staffing metrics under a proposal Canadian regulators unveiled on Friday. Transport Canada’s move was announced on the same day that the Surface Transportation Board said it will temporarily require the big railroads to provide more detailed operational and […]
New operator of Colorado’s Transportation Technology Center begins transition
PUEBLO, Colo. — The new operator of a half-century-old Colorado rail testing facility has begun the transition to full operations at the site. In March 2021, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded ENSCO a 20-year contract to operate and maintain the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colorado. Perhaps confusingly, another company, previously named TTCI, owned […]
Federal regulators order railroads to provide more service data, recovery plans
WASHINGTON – Federal regulators have ordered Class I railroads to provide more detailed operational and staffing metrics and will require the big four U.S. systems to submit service recovery plans in light of widespread service problems that were spotlighted during hearings last week. The Surface Transportation Board, in a decision issued on Friday, said “immediate […]
Nebraska utility to challenge Union Pacific reciprocal switch rate
WASHINGTON — A Nebraska utility says it will file a rate complaint against Union Pacific for a reciprocal switch involving unit coal trains interchanged with BNSF Railway a few miles from the power plant. The Omaha Public Power District disclosed its plans to challenge the reasonableness of UP’s rates in a regulatory filing with the […]
Orlando businesses pledge $125 million for Brightline-SunRail joint route to Disney World (corrected)
ORLANDO, Fla. — Businesses who would have been bypassed by Brightline’s original route between Orlando International Airport and Disney World have pledged $125 million toward a project which would serve them through a joint route used by both Brightline and commuter operator SunRail. Accounts of the meeting were provided in a paywalled Orlando Sentinel report […]
Anacostia names Crosson as chief safety and compliance officer
CHICAGO — Herman E. Crosson, a veteran safety official for short line and Class I railroads, will be come chief safety and compliance officer at Anacostia Rail Holdings Co., effective May 9, the company has announced. Crosson succeeds the retiring Thomas A. Leopold, who has been with Anacostia since 2006 and will continue to serve […]
Railcar parts firm Comet Industries acquires Seneca Railroad and Mining
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Comet Industries, which specializes in sales of new and reconditioned freight car parts, will acquire Seneca Railroad and Mining of Bellevue, Ohio, which manufactures insulated rail joints, rubber plates, and pads used for railroad crossings, turnouts and switches. “We are pleased to add the Seneca team and their offers to our […]
Cathcart Rail to acquire railcar repair business of The Andersons, Inc.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Freight rail firm Cathcart Rail has signed an agreement to purchase the railcar repair business of The Andersons, Inc. The purchase is expected to close this summer. “The Andersons railcar repair network aligns perfectly with Cathcart Rail’s strategic goal of offering a broad array of rail services across a national footprint, we […]
Union Pacific and TuSimple delay launch of autonomous truck service
SAN DIEGO – Union Pacific and autonomous trucking company TuSimple have delayed plans to begin driverless truck moves between the railroad’s Tucson intermodal terminal and the Phoenix area. The companies in February said they’d launch the service this spring. But the service has been pushed to the third quarter because TuSimple and UP have shifted […]
New NS CEO Alan Shaw visits railroaders in first days at the helm
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern President Alan Shaw spent his first two days as CEO visiting railroaders across the system and vowing to restore service to normal levels. On Sunday, when he added chief executive to his title as president, Shaw headed to DeButts Yard in Chattanooga, Tenn., where he spent time in the main tower, […]
The Trains Interview: Outgoing Norfolk Southern CEO Jim Squires
Norfolk Southern CEO Jim Squires retired over the weekend, passing the baton to new NS President Alan Shaw effective May 1. Squires, who became chief executive in 2015, had an eventful tenure at the helm. Under Squires’ watch, NS fended off unwanted merger advances from Canadian Pacific, pared its Triple Crown RoadRailer service amid the […]