CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Most large U.S. railroads are handling more intermodal this year as geopolitical issues and domestic port labor talks weigh on how importers move containers. Each Class I railroad’s intermodal business, with the exception of Canadian Pacific Kansas City, is outperforming last year. BNSF Railway is leading the pack, up 394,000 units, or […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak on Monday announced plans for renovations and operational improvements at Washington Union Station as a result of a court ruling granting it control of the station. As of Monday, July 29, the passenger rail company is responsible for the day-to-day management and operations of the station, and said it will immediately initiate […]
Before Donald Trump chose Ohio’s JD Vance as his candidate for vice president, the U.S. Marine Corps veteran, lawyer, and author of “Hillbilly Elegy” gained the national spotlight as one of the authors of The Railway Safety Act of 2023. The bipartisan legislation — sponsored by six U.S. Senators, three Republicans and three Democrats — […]
Former Kansas City Southern CEO Patrick Ottensmeyer — who led the cross-border railroad through turmoil over free trade, the transition to a Precision Scheduled Railroad operating model, and its historic merger with Canadian Pacific — died July 26. He was 67. “Pat’s vision and leadership played a monumental role in the great history of Kansas […]
WASHINGTON — Beginning Sept. 3, the daily Texas Eagle will gain a Superliner sleeping car and coach three days a week in each direction, adding seats, rooms, and revenue on a train that has suffered near-daily sellouts since capacity and amenity downgrades as part of October 2020 cuts driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. The additional […]
HENDERSON, Texas — A $15 million project to rebuild a former Union Pacific branch line has been announced by the line’s owner, the Rusk County Rural Rail District, and the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. The Henderson-Overton Branch, an approximately 15-mile line connecting its two namesake communities, has been owned by the district since […]
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee County Zoo, which will close out its history of steam-powered train operations later this year, plans to operate its remaining steam locomotive for its 15-inch gauge railroad, 4-6-2 No. 1924, on 10 days in August, most of them weekends. Scheduled operating dates are Aug. 9-10, 15-18, 23-24, and 30-31. Dates are […]
DeLAND, Fla. — Orlando-area commuter service SunRail will begin operations on its new 12-mile northern extension to DeLand on Monday, Aug. 12, the operator has announced. The station, at 2491 Old New York Avenue, is also served by Amtrak’s Silver Meteor and Silver Star. It hosted the first of two open-house events to familiarize prospective […]
PARIS — French national rail operator SNCF reported it has completed repairs from Friday’s series of infrastructure tracks, with the high-speed TGV lines operating as planned today (Sunday, July 28) and full service anticipated for Monday. Fiber-optic cables used for system used for signals and switches were cut or damaged in arson attacks at three […]
NEW YORK — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is facing two lawsuits over her decision to block Manhattan’s congestion pricing, a move which created a $15 billion hole in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority budget and has forced the transit agency to delay a number of capital projects. The news site amNY.com reports one lawsuit has […]
WASHINGTON — Eight members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation have again written Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, asking for federal intervention in the ongoing service issues on the Northeast Corridor. The letter, dated Friday, July 26, is signed by U.S. Reps. Mikie Sherrill, Robert J. Menendez, Frank Pallone Jr., Josh Gottheimer, Andy Kim, Donald Norcross, Bill […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National reopened its main line through Jasper, Alberta, this morning and began moving a backlog of traffic that had built up this week while wildfires threatened and ultimately engulfed part of the resort town. “After inspecting its infrastructure on Thursday afternoon, CN collaborated with the Unified Incident Command center to revise and […]
