STUART, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard’s recent decision to mandate scheduled openings for a St. Lucie River drawbridge does not reflect protocols successfully implemented to the south in Fort Lauderdale when Brightline trains first began frequent operation in May 2018. The “temporary deviation” from current rules published in the Federal Register calls for openings […]
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NTSB releases witness list for East Palestine hearing
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board on Friday released the list of witnesses scheduled to appear at next week’s investigative hearing on the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment and hazardous material release in East Palestine, Ohio. That hearing is scheduled for June 22-23 at East Palestine High School and will deal with the decision […]
NTSB says slack action was probable cause of BNSF yard fatality
WASHINGTON — Slack action was the probable cause of the Feb. 9, 2022, death of a BNSF Railway remote control operator helper who fell from the front platform of his locomotive in Denver, the National Transportation Safety Board said today. “Surveillance video evidence reviewed by NTSB investigators shows slack action in the train consist at […]
Railroads file suit over California’s new locomotive emissions regulations
WASHINGTON — Railroads have filed suit against the California Air Resources Board’s new diesel locomotive emissions standards, arguing that the state body lacks the authority to implement the In-Use Locomotive rule. The Association of American Railroads and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, on behalf of their members, filed suit against the California […]
Five scenic highlights aboard Amtrak’s ‘California Zephyr’
While the California Zephyr name continues today under the Amtrak banner, much has changed since the final run of the streamlined predecessor in 1970. What hasn’t changed since the original 1949 debut is the premise from vintage advertisements to “look up, look down, and look all around” when taking the Chicago-Emeryville, Calif. trip. Especially when […]
CSX debuts new railroad real estate site search tool
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has launched a new online site selection tool to assist companies in their search for rail-served properties and communities competing for economic development projects. The tool is the latest enhancement of the CSX Select Site program, which has helped dozens of manufacturers find appropriate sites for projects expected to generate […]
Senate committee sets hearing on nominees for Amtrak board, NTSB
WASHINGTON — The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing next week on three nominees for Amtrak’s board of directors, as well as a member of the National Transportation Safety Board. The hearing will be Wednesday, June 21, at 10 a.m. ET, the committee chair, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), announced. It will […]
BNSF Railway sets date for taking control of Montana Rail Link
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway aims to take over Montana Rail Link operations on Jan. 1, 2024. Federal regulators in March approved the early termination of Montana Rail Link’s lease of the former Northern Pacific main line between Jones Junction, Mont., and Sandpoint, Idaho. Although the Surface Transportation Board’s green light meant that BNSF […]
Swiss gauge-changing GPX trains back in service
INTERLAKEN, Switzerland — The innovative Golden Pass Express gauge-changing train is back in service after through operations were suspended in February. The train offers one-seat rides from Montreaux, on the shores of Lake Geneva, to Interlaken in the heart of the Swiss Alps. It runs on the mountainous meter-gauge Montreux Berner Oberland Bahn (abbreviated MOB) […]
Tri-Rail gets okay for test trains into Brightline Miami station
MIAMI — Commuter operator Tri-Rail has received clearance to begin running test trains into Brightline’s MiamiCentral station next week. WLRN public broadcasting reporter Danny Rivero has posted on Twitter a letter from Florida East Coast Railway that grants Tri-Rail’s parent, the South Florida Regional Transit Authority, authorization to run test trains into the Brightline station […]
Ontario government awards contract for eastern GO Transit extension
WHITBY, Ontario — The Ontario government announced Thursday it has awarded a contract for planning to extend GO Transit’s Lakeshore East line to Bowmanville, Ont., an extension of nearly 20 kilometers (12 miles) eastward from the current terminus in Oshawa. Bowmanville Construction Partners has received the early-stage contract for advance infrastructure planning on what is […]
NJ Transit, BLET reach settlement over 2022 sick-out
NEWARK, N.J. — The National Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen will pay $50,000 to NJ Transit to settle a claim over an illegal job action on last year’s Juneteenth holiday, the transit agency announced Thursday. Engineers did not report for their assignments on June 17, 2022, leading to the cancellation of nearly 300 trains. […]