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PITTSBURGH — Australian mining company Roy Hill has become the first purchaser of Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive. Wabtec and Roy Hill announced the purchase on Monday. Roy Hill will receive the second-generation version of the FLXdrive locomotive, currently under development for delivery in 2023, which will have an energy capacity of 7 megawatt hours. The […]
CHICAGO –—Climate change provides an opportunity for railroads, even as more frequent extreme weather events take a toll on railroad operations and infrastructure and require investments in new locomotive technology, executives told a shipper conference last week. The increased emphasis on sustainability is a tremendous opportunity for rail carriers, BNSF CEO Katie Farmer told the […]
LONDON — Activist investor TCI Fund Management has formally requested a special meeting of Canadian National’s shareholders and named four individuals it will nominate for the railroad’s board of directors. “We did not seek a proxy fight,” Chris Hohn, TCI founder and managing partner, said in a Monday press release, “but without urgent action CN’s […]
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — VIA Rail Canada has delayed plans to increase frequencies of its Montreal-Halifax train, the Ocean, until at least Nov. 15, Halifax Today reports. A weekly roundtrip on the route, suspended since March 2020, resumed Aug. 11 [see “VIA’s Ocean to resume once-weekly round trips …,” Trains News Wire, July 12, 2021. […]
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It’s only 13 miles of a 129-mile project, but this week’s planned activation of a second main track between West Palm Beach and Jupiter, Fla., represents tangible progress in Brightline’s northward expansion. Restoration of the second main on Florida East Coast’s line to Cocoa, Fla., helps establish a fluid, 110-mph-capable […]
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has restored service on more of its light rail network, bringing back Blue Line service as of Sunday, Sept. 12. Trains will operate at 20-minute intervals during weekdays and 30-minute intervals evenings and weekends. The VTA also has extended fare-free light rail travel, which was […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern on Sunday accepted Canadian Pacific’s $300 per share merger offer, spurning Canadian National’s higher bid due to its regulatory obstacles. In a midday press release, KCS said its board had determined CP’s revised offer constituted a “Company Superior Proposal” as defined in the agreement with CN. CP extended the […]
PITTSBURGH — A rail manufacturer, shortline holding company, and university have announced formation of a consortium that they hope will revolutionize American railroading and eventually reduce the industry’s carbon footprint to zero. Pittsburgh-based Wabtec Corp.; Carnegie Mellon University, known for its engineering curriculum; and shortline and regional railroad operator Genesee & Wyoming announced Friday, Sept. 10, […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canadian Pacific and container-ship operator Maersk have opened their new Vancouver transload facility, adjacent to the railroad’s Vancouver Intermodal Facility. Construction was completed in August, with operations beginning Sept. 1 and first containers arriving earlier this week. The facility will allow cargo to be moved between international containers and domestic 53-foot […]
WASHINGTON — Vandalism is a possible factor in the derailment and fire involving a BNSF oil train in Custer, Wash., in December 2020, according to a Federal Railroad Administration accident report released Thursday. The report cites as other possible contributing factors the crew’s failure to properly inspect the train; BNSF’s failure to comply with rules […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Sept. 4 fell compared to the same week in 2020, as well as the previous week in 2021. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show U.S. railroads originated a total of 494,415 carloads and intermodal units, a 3% decrease from the figure for the 35th […]
CHICAGO — CSX Transportation is willing to part with its stake in Pan Am Southern if that would alleviate competitive concerns surrounding its proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways. “It was our position from day one, if they wanted us to step out of the Pan Am Southern, we were glad to […]
