Union Pacific derailment spills asphalt into creek

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

HAMPTON, Iowa — A Union Pacific derailment early Monday morning spilled asphalt into a creek, WOI-TV reports. No injuries were reported from the 44-car derailment, which occurred about 3:30 a.m. on a bridge over Otter Creek, north of Hampton, and sent some cars into the creek. Hazardous materials teams remained on the scene as of […]

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Hudson tunnel timeline pushed back three years

Man speaking with microphone on a train.

NEW YORK — New Northeast Corridor tunnels connecting New Jersey to New York’s Penn Station will not be completed before 2035 — three years later than previously planned — and will cost at least $2 billion more than previously projected, the commission overseeing the project said last week. The New York Times reports that the […]

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Twin Cities light rail project faces $500 million shortfall

Map of light rail project connecting Minneapolis to Eden Prairie, Minn.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The problem-plagued Southwest extension of the Twin Cities’ light rail Green Line is short $500 million in funding, according to a review of the project from the state’s nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor, and it is unclear where that money will come from. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the money […]

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Applications now being accepted for FRA’s CRISI program

Logo for Federal Railroad Administration

WASHINGTON — Applications are now being accepted for the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grant program, which will offer more than $1.4 billion for passenger and freight infrastructure projects — more than tripling the previous level of funding. “Freight rail is a critical part of our supply chains, and when shipping […]

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AAPRCO cars make another Chicago-area trip

Train with orange and maroon observation car at end backs toward camera

CHICAGO — Private cars visiting Chicago as part of the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners’ annual convention made another journey on local transit lines on Sunday, Sept. 4, traveling a route including Metra and South Shore lines. As was the case on Saturday —when the private cars visited Metra’s Milwaukee West, Milwaukee North, […]

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Organizers, supporters make push for Montreal-Boston night train

Map showing proposed passenger route from Montreal to Boston via Sherbrooke, Quebec, and Old Orchard Beach, Maine

COATICOOK, Quebec — More than 60 political and business representatives from both sides of the Canada-U.S. border packed the former Coaticook railway station, now a craft brewery, this week to plead for a new night train between Montreal and Boston. Francois Pepin, a retired network planner with Montreal’s transit agency, Société de transport de Montréal […]

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Railways and bridges key targets as Ukraine fights back

Large diesel locomotive at shop complex

Rail and road bridges have been key targets as Ukrainian military forces began a counterattack in the south of the country to liberate the city of Kherson and its surrounding area from Russian occupation, according to announcements from the Ukrainian government. The city was occupied in early March. The counter-attack, officially announced in late August, […]

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News photos: Private car special on Metra (updated)

Passenger car with observation platform meets commuter train at station

CHICAGO — Metra operated a passenger special Saturday, Sept. 3, for members of the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners from Chicago Union Station and return, operating on Metra’s Milwaukee West and Milwaukee North lines. The train’s route took it to Elgin, Ill., on Metra’s Milwaukee West line. The special then retraced most of […]

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Two more unions reach tentative agreements with railroads (updated)

Logo of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

Two more unions have announced tentative agreements with the railroads’ bargaining group in the current national contact negotiations, the National Carrier Conference Committee. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and American Train Dispatchers Association have informed their members of the deals, bringing the five the number of unions that will bring agreements to their members […]

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Weekly U.S. rail traffic again up compared to 2021

Weekly table showing U.S. carload traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic was up for the second consecutive week, compared to 2021, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending Aug. 27, U.S. railroads handled 511,574 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.4% from the same week a year earlier. That figure included 242,633 carloads, up 3.4%, […]

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MBTA approves contract with CAF USA for new light rail equipment

Illustration of seven-unit light-rail train

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has approved an $811 million contract for new light rail vehicles to be built by CAF USA, the American affiliate of Spanish rail equipment manufacturer CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles). A CAF news release says the order will be for 102 vehicles, two driving simulators, parts, tools, […]

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