Digest: South Shore ends ‘mask optional’ cars

commuter train

Monday afternoon rail news: With new state rules in effect, South Shore ends ‘mask optional’ cars South Shore Line commuter trains have done away with their “mask optional” car after Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb issued an executive order on Friday on mask rules to try to help slow the state’s surge in COVID-19 cases. The […]

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Digest: Report sets goal of extended Amtrak, commuter service, more freight trains through San Diego

a train on a bridge

Friday midday rail news: Transit district’s report sets goals for expanded commuter, passenger, freight service in San Diego
 Coaster commuter train and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service would be extended southward from their current endpoint at San Diego’s Santa Fe Depot, and more slots would be created for freight trains, under the San Diego Pathing Study […]

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Digest: Illinois short line conductor killed in accident

Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad logo

Thursday midday rail news: Decatur & Eastern Illinois conductor killed in switching accident A Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad conductor was killed during a switching accident on the grounds of Cabot Corp.’s silica plant in Ficklin, Ill., on Wednesday morning. The Douglas County Sheriff was called to the scene at 9:44 a.m. Wednesday where officers found the […]

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CN sees one-person crews, autonomous operation as ways to compete with driverless trucks

Canadian National logo

MONTREAL — Canadian National is closely watching autonomous truck developments but says the long hauls of its intermodal network should help protect the railway from much of the competitive challenge posed by lower-cost driverless trucks. “We’re blessed with a long length of haul,” Chief Financial Officer Ghislain Houle says, noting that the typical international container […]

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VIA Rail Canada five-year plan says third ‘Canadian’ trip won’t be restored, casts doubt on train’s future

Via Rail Canada locomotive no. 6433

MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada sees no prospect for restoring a third full Toronto-Vancouver round trip of its flagship long-distance train, the Canadian, and says the train’s current business model is “no longer sustainable,” although it does not indicate plans to discontinue service.

Those assessments are part of the summary for the passenger carrier’s 2020-24 corporate […]

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