Metrolinx says it has new site for GO Transit layover facility

Toronto GO Transit logo

TORONTO — Metrolinx, the Ontario transit agency which oversees GO Transit commuter trains, has abandoned plans to build a facility for midday servicing of commuter trains in Toronto’s Don Valley, a plan opposed by residents concerned about potential damage to the environment and nearby parkland. The Toronto Globe and Mail reports the Metrolinx proposal would […]

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Class I railroads to join FRA close call reporting program (updated)

Head and shoulders short of man in coat and tie

WASHINGTON — All seven Class I railroads will join a Federal Railroad Administration voluntary safety reporting program at the urging of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. In the wake of the disastrous Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Buttigieg wrote the CEOs of the seven major systems on Monday and asked them to […]

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NTSB expresses concerns about protective covers on tank cars

An "energetic pressure release" from a vinyl chloride tank car at East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 4, 2023. NTSB.

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board says it is “looking closely” at aluminum protective covers on tank cars involved in the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, over concerns those covers melted on three of the cars, which may have hampered the performance of pressure relief devices. The issue occurred on three of the five cars […]

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Canadian National sets grain tonnage record for February

Canadian National set a grain volume record for February by moving 2.4 million metric tons out of Western Canada for the month, topping the record set last year by 200,000 metric tons. CN attributes February’s performance to increased collaboration between supply chain partners, which helped the railway bounce back from a period of extreme cold. […]

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U.S. rail traffic down again in February

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus intermodal totals

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was down again for the month of February, showing a 5.2% decline compared to figures for the same month in 2022. The overall drop included a 1.6% decrease in carload traffic and an 8.4% decline for intermodal volume, according to the Association of American Railroads. It followed a 3.2% drop […]

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CP nominates former FRA administrator as KCS trustee

Batorymug

WASHINGTON – Canadian Pacific has asked federal regulators to approve the appointment of former Federal Railroad Administration administrator and longtime railroad executive Ron Batory as trustee of the CP-Kansas City Southern voting trust. The move comes after former KCS CEO Dave Starling, who had been serving as trustee, died last month. “Mr. Batory is eminently […]

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