Iowa provides $5.1 million in loans, grants for rail projects

DECORAH, Iowa — The Iowa Transportation Commission has approved loans and grants totaling $5.1 million for six rail infrastructure and development projects under the state’s Railroad Revolving Loan and Grant program. The agency says the projects will support creation and retention of 55 jobs within the three years of project completion. Receiving funding as Targeted […]

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New bill would place rail yardmasters under hours-of-service law

Trains Washington Watch logo

WASHINGTON — Two members of Congress have introduced legislation to place railroad yardmasters under the same hours-of-service regulations that cover workers such as train crew members and dispatchers. U.S. Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Mike Lawler (R-Pearl River, N.Y.) on Tuesday introduced the Railroad Yardmaster Protection Act, which would limit a yardmaster to […]

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Canada’s High Frequency Rail could become high-speed project

VIA_Map

OTTAWA, Ontario — The Canadian government is seriously considering making the proposed High-Frequency Rail project linking Toronto and Quebec City a true high-speed line, according to a government official. The CBC reports that Jean-Yves Duclos, public services and procurement minister, said Monday that the models for the high-frequency project, which would build a separate, passenger-only rail […]

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New equipment debuts on Staten Island Railway

Staten Island Railway train with "Inaugural ride" sign on nose

NEW YORK — The first new railcars for the Staten Island Railway in more than 50 years entered service on Tuesday, Oct. 8, with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority organizing a “first run” event to note the occasion. The cars entering service Tuesday are among 75 R211S cars specifically for Staten Island, part of a larger […]

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Cando Rail & Terminals adds Buettner as chief legal officer

Head shot of bearded man in coat and tie

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Cando Rail & Terminals has named Eric Buettner as the company’s first chief legal officer. Buettner has more than 10  years of experience in corporate and commercial law with a focus on mergers and acquisitions at western Canada law firm MLT Aikins. He has served as Cando’s external counsel since 2018, primarily […]

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Deciphering railroad lingo

A worker holds a pole next to a steam locomotive moving slowly.

Railroad lingo What is the railroad’s lingo? Utilized mostly by railroaders, it’s a way of speaking among co-workers that involves using railroad terminology, jargon, slang, or argot. Common lingo can vary from one group of individuals to another. Not born of this world, I’ve struggled to understand some of the language the railroad professionals use […]

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Grand Canyon No. 4960 concludes 2024 steam season

Steam powered passenger train running across a desert-like landscape

WILLIAMS, Ariz. — The conclusion of the Grand Canyon Railway’s 2024 steam season was a fall finish as 2-8-2 No. 4960 made its Oct. 5 round trip between Williams and Grand Canyon National Park. Railway Chief Mechanical Officer Eric Hadder said the locomotive did well with no significant problems. He also noted that No. 4960’s […]

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EBT reopens more track; chairman confirms full-restoration goal

Steam engine with train on curve next to park

ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa.— As East Broad Top trains last weekend christened 1.3  miles of restored mainline track that had lain dormant since 1956, EBT Foundation Chairman Henry Posner reiterated the nonprofit group’s resolve to rebuild the tourist line another 18 miles up to the coal-mining region that gave the narrow gauge line its reason for […]

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Canadian appeals court gives CN Toronto-area intermodal facility the go-ahead

Rendering of proposed rail yard

OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s Federal Court of Appeals has overturned a lower-court ruling blocking Canadian National Railway’s development of a Toronto-area intermodal facility, allowing construction of the terminal to move forward. The Canadian Press reports that a three-judge panel ruled on Friday that the federal government’s decision to allow construction of the facility in Milton, […]

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