STB sets speaking schedule for hearing on rail service issues

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has released its schedule for speakers to take part in next week’s hearing regarding urgent issues in freight rail service, to be held at the STB’s hearing room April 26-27. The proceedings will begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT both days. A total of 11 “panels” of speakers are scheduled, […]

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Union Pacific earnings improve despite congestion and crew shortages

Locomotives lead freight train under golden sky from setting sun

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific reported higher first quarter volume, revenue, and profits despite congestion related to crew shortages and rising freight car inventory. “Improving our service product has our full and undivided attention,” CEO Lance Fritz told investors and analysts on the railroad’s Thursday morning earnings call. UP’s on-time performance deteriorated during the quarter. […]

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RDC’s Posner looks at Ukraine refugee operation, rail aspects of war

Repair work underway on rail bridges

CHICAGO — Ukrainian refugee trains being operated by RDC Deutschland, the German subsidiary of Pittsburgh-based Railroad Development Corp., have stopped running as of April 19. In a presentation that day to Northwestern University’s Sandhouse Rail Group, RDC Chairmain Henry Posner III recounted experiences in operating those trains, as well as observations based on past visits […]

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Signal workers walk out at Toronto Union Station

Logo of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

TORONTO — Signal and communications workers at Toronto Union Station have gone on strike, creating the possibility of service disruptions at the station which sees more then 300 trains daily. The CBC reports 95 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers walked out at 12:01 a.m. today (Wednesday, April 20) after the union failed […]

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Wabtec to acquire Beena Vision, maker of wayside inspection systems

Inspection system between rails of track

PITTSBURGH — Wabtec Corp. has signed agreement to acquire Beena Vision, which manufactures machine-vision-based wayside inspection systems, from Sunnyvale, Calif., technology firm Trimble. Beena Vision’s rolling-stock wayside detectors assess components ranging from wheel surface condition to full train inspection for trains in motion., allowing companies to manage fleet maintenance through sensor and image-based inspection systems. […]

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Gulf Coast hearing, week 3: Mobile rail executive outlines train movements; Amtrak witnesses criticize randomized data

Freight train with BNSF engines on one of two mainline tracks

WASHINGTON — Switching details and conflicting traffic modeling assumptions dominated discussions at the Surface Transportation Board’s hearing into Amtrak plans to launch passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. The seventh and eighth days of testimony and cross-examination, spread over three weeks, on the dispute over plans for two daily Amtrak round trips precedes […]

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VIA Rail Canada sets restoration of most service

Passenger train with dome-observation car

MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada has announced plans to restore most service by June, ending suspensions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the previously announced return of two weekly round trips for the flagship, Toronto-Vancouver Canadian, plans announced last week will see three weekly round trips for the Montreal-Halifax Ocean, tentatively beginning June […]

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