MILWAUKEE — The long-orphaned Talgo trainsets built but never used for extended Hiawatha service to Madison, Wis., have finally found a home. In Nigeria. The website Urban Milwaukee reports Talgo will sell the equipment to the Nigerian government. According to a press release, it will be for a new 23-mile, 11-station commuter line in the […]
Train Topic: Rail Industry
Plans set for new Genesee & Wyoming dispatching center
ST. ALBANS, Vt. — Work is set to begin in April on a new dispatching center for short line company Genesee & Wyoming near downtown St. Albans, the Valley News reports. The 10,000-square-foot building, on a long-vacant site, will replace an older facility in the building. St. Albans City Manager Dominic Cloud said the company […]
Carload Considerations: Boxcars thrive as trucking issues persist… but for how long?
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Supply-chain woes stemming from COVID-19’s economic rebound have been thoroughly scrutinized in the past year, specifically the interwovenness of intermodal container rail shipments and its role in the supply chain. Trains’ Bill Stephens summarized the topic as part of 2021’s year-end countdown of major stories: “News Wire Top 10, No. 3, a […]
AAR head sees ‘disconnect’ in potential rail regulations
LOMBARD, Ill. — Ian Jefferies, CEO of the Association of American Railroads, says he isn’t concerned by idea of a “dynamic” regulatory group at the U.S. Surface Transportation board. “The [STB] chairman, Marty Oberman, has made it clear that he has a new hearing room, and he wants to use it, and he likes open […]
BNSF unions threaten strike over attendance policy (updated)
CLEVELAND — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation union, who work for the BNSF Railway, initiated steps to go on strike following the railroad’s announcement of its so-called “Hi-Viz” attendance policy. Collectively, the unions represent more than […]
BNSF and NS may seek trackage rights over KCS as part of CPKC merger
WASHINGTON – BNSF Railway and Norfolk Southern may both seek trackage rights over Kansas City Southern routes in order to preserve competition as part of the proposed Canadian Pacific-KCS merger. The railroads disclosed their intentions in regulatory filings posted today on the Surface Transportation Board website. The board’s deadline for such responsive applications is Feb. […]
CN asks regulators to force CPKC to divest KCS line linking Springfield, Ill., and Kansas City
MONTREAL – Canadian National wants to acquire Kansas City Southern’s line linking Springfield, Ill., with Kansas City, Mo., and East St. Louis, Ill. CN today said it would ask the Surface Transportation Board to condition approval of the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger on divestiture of KCS’s Springfield Line. CN promises to spend at least $250 […]
Amtrak to pay more than $2 million to disabled who could not access trains
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice announced that Amtrak will pay over $2 million to more than 1,500 individuals who experienced disability discrimination while traveling or attempting to travel by train. The payments were part of a settlement agreement reached on Dec. 2, 2020, to resolve the United States’ determination that Amtrak failed for over […]
LA Metro awarded $1.24 billion in pandemic funds
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been awarded $1.24 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help pay for expenses incurred by the agency during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Metro will use the America Rescue Plan Act funds to benefit riders, including seniors, persons with disabilities, low-income and transit dependent […]
Maryland Purple light rail line will cost $1.4 billion more to finish
BALTIMORE – Maryland’s Purple Light Rail Line would begin carrying passengers in the Washington suburbs over four years late and cost an additional $1.4 billion to build under a proposed contract to complete the project, Maryland transportation officials said this week. The state’s cost of a broader agreement for a private concessionaire to build, operate, and […]
New York transit agencies get $6.2 billion in federal COVID-19 funds
NEW YORK – New York City’s subways and commuter railroads will receive a $6 billion lump sum payment in federal COVID-19 relief funds, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer announced. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has received the money as part of more than $14.5 billion in overall federal relief aid. It is the largest one-time […]
New spent nuclear fuel escort railcar heads into final phase of testing
PUEBLO, Colo. – A new high-tech railcar developed by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Energy is moving from Oregon to the Association of American Railroads Transportation Technology Center test track near Pueblo for multiple-car testing. The Rail Escort Vehicle is designed to transport security personnel during the shipment of spent nuclear fuel and high-level […]