OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific executives are traveling to Eagle Pass, Texas, today to encourage officials to reopen the Mexico rail border crossing that has been shut down since Wednesday due to the surge in migrants crossing the Rio Grande. Thousands of migrants waded their way to U.S. soil this week, straining resources in the […]
ABILENE, Kan. — Photographers from around the country came to Abilene to shoot Santa Fe 4-6-2 No. 3415 before the locomotive is slated to be taken out of service for its federally mandated 1,472-day inspection. But they didn’t leave the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad empty-handed. Organizer Dak Dillion presented the railroad with $10,000 in […]
Training center in East Palestine EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Norfolk Southern broke ground Thursday on a training center for first responders in East Palestine. CEO Alan Shaw and East Palestine officials attended a ceremony to mark the start of the construction of a regional safety training center. The new center will provide ongoing, free training […]
Big Boy WASHINGTON — Long before Union Pacific reacquired Big Boy No. 4014, rebuilt it to operation and sent it west to Utah for the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike, Congress considered sending another Big Boy to the celebration. In 2002, Rep. Jim Hansen, a Republican from Utah, and Rep. Nicholas Rahall, a Democrat […]
Urban rail CHICAGO — Representatives from a wide range of U.S. rail operations gathered in the Windy City this week to compare ways in which systems are attempting to capture customers who may have shunned their trains prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Highlights of the three-day confab included a tour of South Shore Line projects […]
Atlas railcar PUEBLO, Colo. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the successful completion of a 1,680-mile round trip as part of the final testing for its Atlas railcar. A Sept. 21, 2023 press release said the 12-axle equipment — designed to transport large containers of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration announced today $178 million in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program funding to restore Amtrak service from New Orleans to Mobile, Ala. The funding will help to build a platform for the Mobile end of the service, as well as additional track upgrades. “We’ve been fighting to […]
BOSTON — Safety issues continue to plague the MBTA. The commuter service is now investigating a near miss between a train and workers on the Red Line on Monday and second incident on Monday, Sept. 11, along the same tracks, according to a news story on WCVB-TV. Last week the Federal Transit Administration admonished the […]
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered federal agencies to continue their response to the Feb. 3 toxic derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, and to ensure that the railroad covers all cleanup costs. “As part of his commitment to the people of East Palestine, President Biden is today issuing […]
WASHINGTON — President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, issued a statement to recognize Rail Safety Week 2023. Spearheaded by Operation Lifesaver, Inc., and collaborated with many organizations and institutions throughout North America, the Sept. 18-24 campaign raises the awareness to the public surrounding railroad safety [See […]
SAN FRANCISCO – Caltrain has completed the installation of all the poles necessary to support its overhead catenary between San Francisco and San Jose. It also upgraded the signal system, and successfully tested electric trains at maximum track speed of 79 mph. The commuter railroad said the three major milestones bring the Caltrain Electrification Project closer […]
BOSTON, Mass. — MBTA and Keolis Commuter Services have completed repairs to tracks in Leominster and have restored commuter rail service to the city. Tracks were damaged when severe flash flooding Sept. 11 overwhelmed the city’s drainage system and washed away the ground under both tracks near Leominster Station. Alternative bus service has been in […]
