WASHINGTON — The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) federal mask mandate for travel on all rail systems, airplanes, in airports, and on buses will be extended through May 3, 15 days after it had been set to expire amid a new coronavirus surge fueled by the BA.2 variant. The two-week extension is from an order by […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Amtrak, PennDOT to add Keystone Service
PHILADELPHIA – Beginning April 25, Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will operate additional Keystone Service trains between New York, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg, Pa. Two new weekday trains will be added, and all pre-pandemic weekend service will be restored. “After a long period of reduced schedules, PennDOT is pleased that Amtrak has been able […]
Logistics expert: PSR shouldn’t shoulder all the blame for rail service problems
BALTIMORE – The blame for ongoing railroad service problems can’t be placed entirely on cutbacks related to Precision Scheduled Railroading. The pandemic, a surge in freight demand, and a labor shortage were a recipe for disruption all on their own. That’s the message that Peter Swan, associate professor of logistics and operations management at Penn […]
TTD union asks federal regulators to delve into rail service, employment issues
WASHINGTON – The Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO has joined the chorus of organizations asking federal regulators to address Class I railroad service problems. “It is clear that a lack of oversight has allowed Class I railroads to operate in a manner that is harmful to shippers, employees, and the American public, and these […]
Union Pacific to begin metering traffic if shippers don’t reduce car inventory
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific will start metering traffic on Monday if shippers don’t voluntarily reduce their active freight-car inventories on the railroad, which is bogging down due to a combination of crew and locomotive shortages. “Over the last few weeks, our network has experienced some setbacks – including numerous service interruptions, crew shortages in […]
STB Gulf Coast hearing scrutinizes details of traffic modeling: Analysis
WASHINGTON — Last week’s fourth day of testimony at the Surface Transportation Board’s hearing on Amtrak Gulf Coast service focused on two questions: — “Where did the data used for traffic modeling come from?” — “What constitutes a train that can cause ‘unreasonable impairment’ to freight operations” if two passenger round trips are introduced between […]
Ontario short line keeps GM traffic moving after CN snafu
The Ontario Southland Railway helped keep General Motors plants humming when a bridge clearance issue arose after a track project on Canadian National. CN, which handles the majority of traffic in St. Thomas, Ontario, suffered a line outage on the Talbot Spur when a program to fix track in the St. Thomas yard resulted in […]
CSX testing Florida-Northeast perishables market with premium intermodal service
BALTIMORE – If you buy a Florida-grown watermelon in the New York City area, there’s a good chance that it rode a CSX Transportation intermodal train from the Sunshine State to the Northeast. CSX has become the largest hauler of Florida watermelons to the Northeast thanks to a year-old experiment dubbed CSX Greenway, a premium […]
FRA administrator sees longer trains as rationale for two-person crews
BALTIMORE — Autonomous trucks are beginning to roam highways with the blessing of the Department of Transportation, yet the Federal Railroad Administration wants to mandate two-person train crews. Why is the regulatory playing field different for trucks and trains, FRA Administrator Amit Bose was asked at a shippers’ conference on Thursday. “We think having a […]
Railroad executives outline train crew hiring challenges, promise service improvements
BALTIMORE – CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern are working to improve their service amid ongoing crew shortages and supply chain disruptions, executives told shippers on Thursday. “We’re aware that it’s been a tough two years. Clearly we haven’t shown our best self,” Farrukh Bezar, CSX’s senior vice president and chief strategy officer, told the North […]
Remote-control conditions a factor in 2019 CN derailment fatality, report says
RICHMOND HILL, Ontario — A complex series of factors led to a string-line derailment that killed a Canadian National crew member in an August 15, 2019, derailment at MacMillan Yard in Vaughan, Ontario, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in an accident report released this week. The worker, who was operating a remote-control locomotive […]
Metra sets major expansion of UP Northwest schedule
CHICAGO — Commuter rail operator Metra will make significant additions to its weekday Union Pacific Northwest schedule and minor changes to its UP North line, effective April 25. On the Northwest line, to McHenry and Harvard, Ill., weekday trains will increase from 45 to 66 trains. The new schedule increases service for those with early […]
