Reciprocal switching poses risk to rail network, UP CEO says

Three men seated on stage, talking

PHOENIX — Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz isn’t sure what direction the Surface Transportation Board will take as it considers rules for reciprocal switching, but says the decision poses real risks for the rail industry. Speaking Thursday in a “Fireside Chat” at the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association Conference, Fritz termed the proposed rule […]

Read More…

UP nearing purchase of battery-electrics for yard tests, CEO says

Man in sport coat gesturing while speaking

PHOENIX — Union Pacific is nearing agreements to purchase battery-electric locomotives for tests in yard use, CEO Lance Fritz says, with plans to try the locomotives in one cold-weather location and one warm-weather site. “We think you can get an 8-hour shift out of a properly designed [battery-electric],” Fritz said during a short conversation with […]

Read More…

UP’s Dry Canyon bridge project boosted by institutional memory

PHOENIX — Never underestimate the value of experience and institutional knowledge. That’s one of the many lessons from Union Pacific’s Dry Canyon Bridge reconstruction project in 2022. The project, which replaced a major fire-damaged trestle in Northern California in 2021 — about a month faster than was originally projected — has been much discussed and […]

Read More…

Alabama launches new rail projects

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The state of Alabama this week announced the creation of the A-USA Corridor, a proposed $231.6 million program of rail projects to upgrade economic development infrastructure in central and southern Alabama. The first phase of the A-USA Corridor initiative involves a $71.6 million initiative to link the Port of Mobile with the McCalla […]

Read More…

Amtrak struggles to recover from winter weather challenges

Amtrak Auto Train in snow and behind tree across tracks

WASHINGTON — The well-publicized snowstorm that stranded motorists for 24 hours along Interstate 95 near Fredericksburg, Va., didn’t spare Amtrak trains operating through the region from cancellations and monumental delays. But the disruptions weren’t limited to the Northeast, as mudslides, cold temperatures, and snow caused route truncations and delays elsewhere. In Virginia, trees laden with […]

Read More…

Amtrak, Massachusetts seek conditions on CSX-Pan Am merger

Commuter train at station

WASHINGTON – Amtrak and Massachusetts transportation officials have asked federal regulators to impose conditions that would protect current and future passenger and commuter service in the Bay State as part of CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of Pan Am Railways. Their comments were among those filed yesterday, the Surface Transportation Board’s deadline for receiving briefs regarding […]

Read More…

Vermont drops opposition to CSX-Pan Am merger

Red locomotives lead train along river

WASHINGTON – CSX Transportation has ironed out a wrinkle in its proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways by reaching an agreement with Vermont Rail System and the Vermont Agency of Transportation. In exchange for a combination of new trackage rights, haulage rights, and interchange agreements, Vermont Rail System and Vermont transportation officials […]

Read More…

Amtrak faces some holiday cancellations

Passenger train with freight locomotive in lead

WASHINGTON — Although airlines cancelled thousands of flights, resulting in horror stories for stranded travelers, Amtrak was mostly able to keep its trains running during the Christmas-New Year holiday period. There were some cancellations, though. While booked passengers were asked via email or text to choose a different train or travel another day and no […]

Read More…

News Photos: CSX traffic in Kentucky halted by tornado damage

Debris on railroad tracks

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. — Damage from what has subsequently been identified as a small tornado halted CSX Transportation traffic on New Year’s Day in Hopkinsville, the second time in less than a month that a tornado has affected the railroad’s operations in the area. WZTV in Nashville reports the damage, initially attributed to high winds, was […]

Read More…