WASHINGTON — The U.S. Class I railroads and the union representing maintenance of way employees today agreed to extend their cooling off period through at least Dec. 4, eliminating the prospect of a national strike or lockout this month. The prior cooling off period between the National Carriers Conference Committee and the Brotherhood of Maintenance […]
MIAMI — Brightline is altering operations between Miami and West Palm Beach as of this afternoon (Wednesday, Nov. 9) because of the approaching Tropical Storm Nicole, which forecasters have predicted will be a Category 1 hurricane when it makes landfall on Thursday. But while the passenger operator initially said it also expected to modify Thursday […]
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Union Pacific Challenger No. 3985 took one final ride on UP’s turntable at Cheyenne on Tuesday, as the locomotive prepares for its move to Silvis, Ill., in a trip beginning later this week. The locomotive is paired with the original tender for Big Boy No. 4014, since No. 4014 has been using […]
CHICAGO — J.B. Hunt executives see the potential for major growth with partner BNSF Railway next year thanks to rival Schneider shifting its intermodal business to Union Pacific. Schneider’s move to UP, effective Jan. 1, comes a year after another major truckload carrier, Knight-Swift, left BNSF for UP. “We have massive capacity becoming available to […]
STRASBURG, Pa. — Strasburg Rail Road’s ex-Norfolk & Western 4-8-0 steam engine No. 475 returned to excursion passenger duty this week after the company’s mechanical department worked overtime to repair smokebox damage from a Nov. 2 collision with a tracked excavator. The locomotive was back in service on Monday [see “Strasburg No.475 back in service […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — SunRail, the Orlando-area commuter operation that suffered significant damage on part of its route from the recent Hurricane Ian, has once again halted operations because of an approaching storm. Miami-area operator Tri-Rail, meanwhile, is also preparing to shut down. SunRail announced Tuesday afternoon it would halt operations today (Wednesday, Nov. 9) for […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has announced a series of changes and cancellations for Silver Star, Silver Meteor, and Auto Train departures scheduled for today (Tuesday, Nov. 8) through Friday, Nov. 11, because of the approach of Tropical Storm Nicole, which is being forecast to reach hurricane status by the time it arrives in Florida. The first […]
CHICAGO – Union Pacific is running a small pilot program in Kansas that aims to bring more predictability to engineer schedules. The experiment comes as railroads have been having trouble retaining train crews and hiring new conductors at many locations across their systems — due in part to the unpredictable nature of the jobs. Ongoing […]
AURORA, Colo. — The Regional Transportation District has begun repairs at the intersection where a light rail train derailed in September, leading to an ongoing interruption of service on its R Line, the Denver Post reports. A train derailed at a 90-degree turn through the intersection of South Sable Boulevard and East Exposition Drive on […]
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Winnipeg Railway Museum, which had faced relocation, will be able to remain at the city’s Union Station. The museum has signed a 25-year lease with VIA Rail Canada to remain at the downtown building, the Winnipeg Free Press reports, as long as it addresses fire code issues in its portion of […]
WASHINGTON — A group of Glenview, Ill., residents who helped block efforts to expand Amtrak Hiawatha service between Chicago and Milwaukee has told the Surface Transportation Board it opposes Metra’s request for a new connecting track in the community to offset possible negative impacts of the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger. In a letter filed […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has scheduled two online meetings as part of the public comment period for its environment assessment of the proposed Brightline West high speed rail line over Cajon Pass, released in late October. The meetings, to be held via Zoom on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. to noon PST […]
