WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on the April 26 derailment of a BNSF Railway train near the Arizona-New Mexico state line — an incident that led to a breach of tank cars carrying propane and fire that closed Interstate 40. No one was injured in the incident. Interstate […]
DENVER — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday signed into law the bill that imposes a fee on rental cars to help fund rail passenger service in the state. SB24-184 imposes a “congestion impact fee” of up to $3 per day on rental cars, with money raised as a result to go into a fund […]
WASHINGTON — A communication breakdown over granting permission for a train movement into the yard, as well as regarding placement of a portable derail device, was the probable cause of the August 2022 fatality of a Union Pacific conductor at a yard in El Paso, Texas, the National Transportation Safety Board determined in its final […]
CHICAGO — Canadian National, CSX, and Union Pacific last week asked a federal appeals court to set aside the Surface Transportation Board’s new reciprocal switching rule, which will allow sole-served shippers in terminal areas to request access to a second railroad if their rail service falls below certain standards. The STB rule, which was adopted […]
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City says it’s unlikely that its engineers, conductors, and rail traffic controllers in Canada can strike or be locked out within the next 60 days. CPKC and Canadian National are conducting separate negotiations with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, whose members authorized a strike that could have begun on […]
BOSTON — Recent work on the Red Line eliminated another 13 speed restrictions, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says, as work continues on its year-long effort to address the backlog of slow orders on its rapid-transit network. The work saw the rail line shut down between the Park Street and JFK/UMass stations between May 2-10, […]
CHICAGO — Commuter rail operator Metra will offer free rides on the weekend of June 8-9, concluding a week of activities to mark its 40th anniversary. The agency dates its birth from June 8, 1984, when the first meeting was held of the Regional Transportation Authority’s Commuter Rail Division. The Metra name was adopted a […]
WASHINGTON — Patrick J. Fuchs has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate for a second term on the Surface Transportation Board. Fuchs was confirmed by a voice vote on Tuesday, May 14. His latest term expires on Jan. 14, 2029. President Joe Biden had nominated Fuchs for reappointment in January, and the Senate Committee on […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 11 was up slightly over the same week in 2023, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Total volume for the week was 468,748 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.6% from the corresponding week a year ago. That included 209,319 carloads, down 7% […]
ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw trounced the activist investor’s chief executive candidate during last week’s proxy contest, according to a final tally of shareholder votes the railroad released today. Shaw received the backing of 64.1% of the investors who voted for board candidates in the days leading up to Thursday’s annual shareholder meeting. […]
OTTAWA, Ontario – The Canadian government will once again own the landmark Québec Bridge over the St. Lawrence River after negotiations with Canadian National, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today. “The Québec Bridge is a source of pride for the people of Quebec City and all Canadians. It is a timeless symbol of what is […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs made three employees’ days yesterday when he handed them the keys to new Ford pickup trucks. All unionized employees with perfect attendance over a six-month span are entered into the ONE CSX Drive to Succeed raffle. The prize: One of three F-150 Lariat Supercrew trucks. Hinrichs started his […]
