Train dispatchers ratify Class I railroad contract agreement

WASHINGTON — Train dispatchers today became the fourth union to ratify their contract agreement with the Class I railroads. The American Train Dispatchers Association, which represents 1,500 dispatchers, voted in favor of the deal by a 64%-36% margin, the union said in a statement. The agreement follows the recommendations of the Presidential Emergency Board, which […]

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Final segment of LIRR Third Track project opens

WESTBURY, N.Y. — The Long Island Rail Road opened the third and final segment of its Third Track project on Monday, completing the capacity expansion on 9.8 miles of its main line between Floral Park and Hicksville, N.Y. In a press conference in Westbury following a ceremonial ride from Hicksville with officials including Gov. Kathy […]

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GATX to buy 15,000 railcars from Trinity Rail

Logo of rail equipment leasing firm GATX

CHICAGO — GATX Corp. will purchase 15,000 new railcars, including at least 6,000 tank cars, from Trinity Industries subsidiary Trinity Rail in 2023 through 2028, with an option for an additional 500 in each of those years. Trinity’s announcement said the deal is valued at $1.8 billion. The agreement announced Monday calls for 1,200 tank […]

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CN releases 2022-23 Winter Plan

Canadian National logo

MONTREAL — Canadian National has published its 2022-23 Winter Plan, which outlines measures by the railroad to meet operating needs during winter weather as required by the Canada Transportation Act. The railroad says those measures include an increase of 850 employees between the start of 2022 and the end of June, with 500 additional conductors […]

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STB gets an earful about KCS-NS Meridian Speedway joint venture

NS9656

WASHINGTON – Surface Transportation Board members appear skeptical about CSX Transportation’s bid to force its way on to the Kansas City Southern-Norfolk Southern Meridian Speedway. The Meridian Speedway — which runs from Meridian, Miss., to Shreveport, La., — is the shortest, fastest route between the Southeast and Southwest. NS and KCS formed the Meridian Speedway […]

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J.B. Hunt adding transload locations in Laredo, Pacific Northwest

LOWELL, Ark. — J.B. Hunt Transport Services will open new transload facilities to transfer cargo between international and domestic 53-foot containers in Seattle and Laredo, Texas, giving it facilities at four of the nation’s largest ocean ports as well as the largest land port of entry into the U.S. “The complexities of international shipping continue to […]

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Class I railroads’ chemical carload growth continues amid economic uncertainty: Analysis

Blue and yellow locomotives with a string of tank cars

CHICAGO — U.S. Class I railroads continue hauling more chemicals than before, an area of growth even though higher interest rates are raising fears that the U.S. economy could begin contracting. Railroads’ diverse chemicals portfolio supports manufacturing, automotive, energy, and a hodgepodge of other industries, indicative that growth within this carload segment is generally a […]

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MBTA needs an additional $1 billion for Orange, Red line improvements

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority logo

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority needs another $1 billion to complete infrastructure improvements on its rapid-transit Orange and Red lines, the Boston Herald reports. That’s beyond the $1.6 billion already budgeted in its capital investment plan. While the agency recently completed a 30-day shutdown of the Orange Line to address pressing maintenance needs, […]

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Hamilton, Ohio, station move could come in November

HAMILTON, Ohio — Relocation of the CSX train station in Hamilton, Ohio, which dates to the 1850s, could come as soon as November, reports the Journal-News of Middletown, Ohio. There have been several delays in moving the station, which actually consists of two buildings, one a single-story structure and the other of two stories. At […]

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