Wednesday morning rail news: Report: MTA will present budget with dramatic service cuts, almost 10,000 layoffs A report says New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority will present a budget to its board of directors Wednesday (today) calling for dramatic subway and bus service cuts, as well as the layoff of almost 10,000 workers. NY1.com reports sources […]
Zone & Region: Plains & Texas
UP temporarily activates idled eastbound hump in North Platte, Neb.
MAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has temporarily resumed operations over the idled east hump at Bailey Yard in North Platte, Neb., while it makes improvements that will make switching more efficient. The hump — one of two at the world’s largest classification yard — was idled in September. “We’ve temporarily backed off having the one hump […]
Digest: Evacuation area reduced around KCS wreck; schools remain closed
More Friday morning rail news: Evacuation area reduced around KCS wreck; schools stay closed, power restored The evacuation area around Thursday’s Kansas City Southern derailment in Mauriceville, Texas, was reduced Thursday night, although some residents remained out of their homes because of five tank cars that were breached in the accident. The Beaumont Enterprise reports that four […]
News Photo: KCS derailment in Texas
Schools and residents within a 1-mile radius have been evacuated after a Kansas City Southern train derailed this morning near Mauriceville, Texas. The Beaumont Enterprise reports hazardous materials teams along with officers from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Public Safety. No injuries have been reported. The derailment was first reported about 10 a.m. […]
Major Powder River Basin coal producer contemplates mine shutdowns
ST. LOUIS — One of the largest coal companies operating in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming says it will wind down production in the next few years if it can’t find a buyer for its mines that are served by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific. Arch Resources is moving away from the thermal coal that […]
Digest: Dallas man enters guilty plea for fake bomb on rail line
More Friday morning rail news: Dallas man could get five years in prison in fake-bomb case A Dallas man could face up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of false information and hoaxes for an incident in which he placed a fake bomb on railroad tracks in Dallas. The Fort Worth […]
Photo of the Day
Train time at Chadron, Nebr. Way out on Chicago & North Western’s lonely “Cowboy Line,” 4-6-2 No. 1588 arrives Chadron, Nebr., with daily-except-Sunday train 13 from Omaha, 447 miles to the east. The train is bound for Rapid City, S.Dak., 104 miles west. Fred H. Ragsdale photo […]
Kansas City Southern boosts outlook as traffic rebounds
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern reinstated and boosted its outlook for the year as traffic volume has risen above pre-pandemic levels in recent weeks. The railway, which reported improved earnings on Friday morning, says it now expects slightly higher earnings per share this year and its operating ratio to should improve to around […]
Digest: Port of Brownsville gets grant for grain project including rail improvements
More Thursday midday rail news: Brownville port receives grant for grain project; rail improvements included The Port of Brownsville, Texas, has received a $14.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration to upgrade its grain storage and loading facilities, the latest in a series of grants that will fund upgrades to port […]
Digest: Dallas-Fort Worth transit agencies offer free rides for voters
More Wednesday morning rail news: Texas transit agencies offer free rides to voters Dallas-Fort Worth area transit agencies — the Denton County Transportation Authority, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, and Trinity Metro — are the latest to announce they will provide free rides for people casting their ballot in the upcoming election. The DCTA and DART […]
Digest: Amtrak to resume service to Holdrege, Neb.
Still more Friday morning rail news: Amtrak completes new platform, will resume stops in Holdrege, Neb. Amtrak’s California Zephyr will again stop in Holdrege, Neb., after an absence of several months after completion of a new station platform in the community. KHGI-TV reports that after the passenger railroad could no longer reach agreement with the owner of the 1910 […]
Texas governor expresses ‘full support’ for Texas Central, then backtracks
DALLAS — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is backtracking from a letter telling Japan’s prime minister that the Texas Central high speed rail project has his full support after the group opposing the project released the letter and said the governor had been misled about the status of the project. The Dallas Morning News reports that Abbott, […]