SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Registration is now open for the 2025 Winter Meeting of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers, which is scheduled to include BNSF Railway CEO Katie Farmer and Surface Transportation Board Chairman Robert E. Primus as featured speakers. The event moves this year from its longtime home in Lombard, Ill., to a new […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
BNSF remains committed to volume growth, chief marketing officer says
NEW YORK — BNSF Railway remains committed to volume growth even as it seeks to improve its profit margins. “Growth is foundational for us,” BNSF Chief Marketing Officer Tom Williams told the RailTrends conference last week, noting that BNSF has accounted for 72% of the industry’s volume growth since it was formed in 1996. In […]
Traveling for the holidays on Amtrak trains
Amtrak trains during the holidays in 2024 are facing ridership demand comparable or even greater than 2019 before COVID-19’s dip in 2020. While autos jam highways where public transportation options are scarce, and airlines add flights to accommodate longer trips, Amtrak in the past also rose to the occasion by offering extra trains and expanded […]
Travel with Trains: New England Fall Colors by Rail
The Trains New England Fall Colors by Rail tour checks a lot of boxes. Memorable train rides, great food and lodging, colorful fall foliage, and time to explore picturesque towns. What’s it like to visit New England with Trains Magazine? Follow along with this day-by-day journal from Editor Carl Swanson. Friday, Oct. 4th, 2024 Volunteering […]
Railroads have turned the corner on service and resiliency, analysts say
NEW YORK — The U.S. Class I railroads have turned the corner on service and resiliency and are poised for volume growth for the first time in years. That’s the view of a trio of analysts – Anthony B. Hatch, Rick Paterson, and Larry Gross – who spoke at the RailTrends conference last week. Paterson, […]
Conciliation officers assigned for CN negotiations with electricians
MONTREAL — Canada’s labor minister, Steven MacKinnon, has appointed three conciliation officers to assist in negotiations between Canadian National and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, CN said on Friday. The IBEW, which represents about CN 750 signal and communication workers across Canada, filed a notice of dispute on Oct. 29, indicating that the union […]
General Electric’s U23B: Where are they now?
General Electric’s U23B General Electric broke into the domestic road-switcher locomotive market over six decades ago with its U25B model in 1961. The U-series line would continue to evolve and grow, laying the foundation for the company’s ascent to becoming the No. 1 locomotive builder in North America in later decades. The U23B was essentially […]
MTA sets four-month closure of A Train to Rockaway Peninsula, outlines alternatives
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will offer free shuttle buses, a shuttle train service, and discounted Long Island Rail Road fares during an upcoming closure of the subway A train to the Rockaways under a plan announced this week. The MTA announced earlier this month that A trains would not run between Howard […]
Trade will help preserve two Conrail cabooses
MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — The Conrail Historical Society has orchestrated a trade of two Conrail cabooses to ensure the preservation of both, the organization has announced. The society has traded former N-20 class wide-vision caboose No. 22130, which it previously owned, to the Garbely Publishing Co. for its former N-21 class bay window caboose No. 21292. […]
New York governor asks Amtrak to revise changes to Empire Service operations
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has joined other elected officials in calling for Amtrak to revise Empire Service schedule changes resulting from the start of East River Tunnel repairs. In a Nov. 13 letter to Amtrak Board Chair Anthony Coscia and CEO Stephen Gardner, Hochul, a Democrat, said Empire Service trains “are […]
Caltrain equipment is bound for Peru
SAN BRUNO, Calif. — Caltrain’s diesel-powered commuter rail trainsets will find a new life in Peru. The commuter rail operator announced that it has completed an agreement to send 19 locomotives and 90 gallery commuter cars to Lima, Peru, for some $6 million, a deal which also involved the U.S. State Department, Department of Commerce, […]
Congressman defends California HSR while urging incremental approach for fast trains
WASHINGTON — Although the California High-Speed Rail Authority faces stiff financial headwinds with Republicans capturing the presidency and both houses of Congress, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) told High Speed Rail Alliance webinar participants this week, “I’m not afraid to defend California High Speed Rail.” Moulton, along with U.S. Rep Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), introduced the […]