Reading & Northern promotes two in passenger department

Reading and Northern logo

PORT CLINTON, Pa. — The Reading & Northern Railroad has announced two promotions within its passenger department, with Jennifer Frederickson becoming director of passenger marketing, retail, and community development, and Meg Pursel named assistant vice president-passenger special projects, office car specials, and special excursions. Frederickson, who started with the railroad in 2018 as a mascot […]

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ASLRRA president discusses CRISI’s short line transformation

Green and yellow locomotive with short string of cars on straight track in snow.

WASHINGTON — Thousands of miles of railroad right-of-way have been upgraded, new rail has been built, and emerging technologies have been explored since the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grant program began injecting federal dollars into the rail industry seven years ago. CRISI has awarded more than $5.2 billion to […]

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‘Cameron Christmas Train’ to visit Ohio, Indiana, Michigan

Logo of Cameron Christmas Train

ANGOLA, Ind. — A three-day holiday train operation in northeast Indiana, southeastern Michigan, and western Ohio has been announced for next Monday through Wednesday. The Cameron Christmas Train, sponsored by Cameron Hospital, will be operated by the Indiana Northeastern Railroad, Little River Railroad, and Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society Nov. 18-20. “As the region’s healthcare […]

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Soo Line No. 1003 attracts crowds for 2024 Santa Train

Steam locomotive in front of crowds of people

HARTFORD, Wis. — A bit too early to be kicking off the holiday season? That certainly wasn’t the case for Soo Line No. 1003, the Steam Locomotive Heritage Association, and Downtown Hartford. The 2-8-2 was in steam on Nov. 9, 2024, for the annual Santa Train to precede the city’s Christmas Parade. Mike Raia, president […]

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RDC buys rail lines in Northern Germany

Railroad Development Corp.’s German subsidiary, RDC Deutschland, has bought two railway lines in northwestern Germany from the international freight business of French Railways (SNCF). Both lines, acquired in a transaction completed at the beginning of November, have regional passenger service, or will shortly. This makes them potentially attractive as an investment, as much of the […]

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Groundbreaking held for new Utah short line

GRANTSVILLE, Utah — More than three years after the project began seeking regulatory approval, and seven months after that approval was granted, construction has begun on the Savage Tooele Railroad, Utah’s first new railroad in decades. The 11-mile short line will build five miles of new track and restore a 6-mile former Union Pacific branch […]

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R.J. Corman breaks ground on Kentucky infrastructure project

Line of people holding shovels

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Federal, state, and local officials were on hand as R.J. Corman Railroad Group held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 6, for its Bluegrass Multimodal Freight Improvement Project at the company’s yard in Frankfort. The $12.3 million project to upgrade infrastructure of the R.J. Corman Central Kentucky Lines will include construction of […]

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New York, Susquehanna & Western promotes Held

Logo of New York, Susquehanna & Western

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Alan A. Held has been promoted to vice president of transportation at the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway, the company has announced. Held has been with the railway since 2022. He has been responsible for operation of transload facilities, overseeing of personnel managmenet, managing Federal Railroad Administration compliance, and developing rulebooks […]

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VIA Historical Association unveils restored FP9A

Yellow and blue F unit locomotive

SALFORD, Ontario — It was fitting that on Oct. 31, a ghost of VIA Rail Canada’s past was officially brought back to life. The VIA Historical Association completed a full restoration of FP9A No. 6539 back into its classic blue and yellow paint scheme. The unit debuted at the Ontario Southland Railway shops in Salford, […]

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Amtrak asks STB to dismiss Gulf Coast case

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has asked the Surface Transportation Board to dismiss its petition asking the board to compel freight railroads to allow operation of Gulf Coast service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., saying the terms of an agreement between the passenger operator, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority have been fulfilled […]

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Announcements of 2024 CRISI grants begin

Steel girder bridge over river

WASHINGTON — Elected officials across the country have begun announcing recipients of federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement, or CRISI, grants ahead of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s announcement of the full list of grant recipients. Officeholders generally have the opportunity to announce the grants to their constituents ahead of the U.S. DOT announcement. […]

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