ARLINGTON, Va. — Agricultural shippers have urged Congress to prevent a national railroad strike or lockout, which they said would have “devastating consequences to our national and global food security.” A railroad network shutdown would exacerbate agricultural shipping challenges, which include rail congestion on the big four U.S. systems, record low water levels that have […]
Section: News Wire
Most residents return home after derailment, acid leak in Louisiana
ST. JAMES PARISH, La. — Residents of all but two homes evacuated after leak of hydrochloric acid were cleared to return home Thursday, a day after a Canadian National derailment that breached a tank car carrying 20,000 gallons of the hazardous material, the Advocate newspaper reports. And the evacuation is expected to be lifted for […]
Meeting explores prospects for passenger route linking Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth
MONROE, La. — Officials and other interested parties from Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama met Thursday in Monroe to discuss funding efforts needed to launch service I-20 Corridor Passenger Rail Service, a proposal for an Amtrak route linking Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth, as well as existing Texas Eagle, City of New Orleans, and Crescent operations, […]
MBTA set to meet several FTA deadlines, but still needs dispatchers
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority should meet a number of deadlines in November for corrective action ordered by the Federal Transit Administration, MBTA officials told the transit agency’s board on Thursday. But the agency remains short of the number of dispatchers it needs to restore subway cuts that were made in June because […]
Caltrain names Bouchard as executive director
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Michelle Bouchard, who has been acting executive director of Caltrain since April 2021, has been named as the commuter operator’s first permanent executive director. The Caltrain board of directors announced Bouchard’s unanimous appointment on Thursday, Nov. 3. “Michelle has been a dynamic and engaged leader for Caltrain,” Caltrain Board Chair Steve […]
Lucas Iverson joins Trains.com
WAUKESHA, Wis. – Kalmbach Media is excited to announce the recent appointment of Lucas Iverson to the Digital Marketing team. The Wisconsin native will be Trains.com‘s new staff writer, responsible for new web articles, search engine optimization, and ultimately the continuous expansion in digital outreach to current and potential audiences. Iverson’s passion in railroading began […]
House Republicans ask Amtrak to explain executive bonuses
WASHINGTON — Republican members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure have asked Amtrak board chairman Tony Coscia for a briefing to explain “six-figure bonuses to top executives paid largely from taxpayer funds, even while the company experienced historic financial and ridership losses.” A letter released by Missouri Rep. Sam Graves, ranking member of […]
Cass Scenic Railroad set for Rail Heritage Weekend, December steam excursions
Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, operator of the Cass Scenic Railroad, has announced a series of special events: — Steam Rail Heritage Weekend trains Nov. 4-6; — Rare steam winter excursions Dec. 2-4 and 9-11, 2022; — The return of West Virginia Central Railroad excursions, powered by classic diesel locomotives, from Elkins to Tygart Junction and […]
CN, CP set single-month records for Canadian grain movement (updated)
Canadian National set a single-month record for movement of Western Canadian grain in October, the company said, moving more than 3.23 million metric tons. Canadian Pacific also set a grain-movement record for the month, moving 3.14 metric tons. This surpassed its previous best month by 100,000 metric tons. CN’s figure exceeded its previous best month, […]
BNSF near permission to replace Bismarck-Mandan bridge
BISMARCK, N.D. — BNSF Railway’s long-delayed effort to replace its aging bridge between Bismarck and Mandan, N.D., is on the verge of getting federal and state approval — but the preservation group that wants to save the structure is considering mounting a legal effort to stop demolition of the existing structure. The Bismarck Tribune reports […]
Workers killed on Ben Franklin Bridge were on track before it was closed, NTSB says
WASHINGTON — Two construction workers who were killed when struck by a Port Authority Transit Corp. train on the Ben Franklin bridge were on Track 2 of the bridge before it was scheduled to be closed to allow for construction work, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report posted Wednesday on its […]
Canadian government, Lac-Mégantic agree on land acquisition
LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — The Canadian government has reached an agreement in principle with the town of Lac-Mégantic on the purchase of land needed for construction of a rail bypass around the community, Transport Canada has announced. The agreement will allow both parties to prepare the deed of sale for the land owned by the town. […]