Biden to visit Baltimore to help launch B&P Tunnel project

Brickwork inside railroad tunnel

BALTIMORE — President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Baltimore this afternoon to announce funding and labor agreements for the project to replace the Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel, the 150-year-old route into Baltimore Penn Station that is a major bottleneck on the Northeast Corridor. Biden is scheduled to speak about 2:45 p.m. EST, WMAR-TV reports. […]

Read More…

VIA joins Amtrak in attempting to replace aging passenger cars

Dome-lounge-observation car at rear of Canadian passenger train

MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada has issued a formal request for information from potential manufacturers of locomotives and passenger cars who might be interested in re-equipping the company’s long distance and regional remote passenger trains. VIA’s appeal comes as Amtrak is evaluating responses received from a similar invitation [see “Amtrak seeks carbuilder interest …,” Trains […]

Read More…

Evacuation lifted after UP derailment in Louisiana

Image from drone of derailed tank cars and covered hoppers

KEACHI, La. — Residents evacuated because of a Union Pacific derailment Friday night were allowed to return home Sunday evening, KSLA-TV reports, after leaks in two tank cars were contained. A total of 16 cars derailed Friday night in Keachi, about 30 miles southwest of Shreveport, La. Leaks from two of those cars, involving acetic […]

Read More…

News photos: Irving short lines add more SD70M-2s

Bright green locomotive with yellow 'Maine Northern' lettering

The J.D. Irving Ltd. short lines in New Brunswick and Maine have added five more locomotives to their fleet of refurbished SD70M-2s. The first six units were delivered starting in June 2021 [see “Locomotive news: First New Brunswick Southern Railway locomotive refurbished,” Trains News Wire, July, 2021]. Four of the second group of locomotives are […]

Read More…

Agencies seek to extend Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad into Cleveland, creating national park access

Yellow, maroon, and black FA locomotive with passenger train

CLEVELAND — A new effort is being launched to link downtown Cleveland and Cuyahoga Valley National Park by extending Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad service, Cleveland.com and the Cleveland Plain Dealer report. In a meeting last week, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and other groups reached agreement on roles and responsibilities to advance the project, […]

Read More…

SMART extension work to resume after California court ruling

Two DMU trainsets meet

PETALUMA, Calif. — A California Supreme Court ruling will allow Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit to resume construction of a 3-mile extension north to a station in Windsor, Calif., the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports. Last week’s 7-0 ruling by the court ended a long-running court fight by the Howard Jarvis Tax Association seeking to overturn a […]

Read More…

‘Twin Zephyr’ at Aurora

20140121

Diesel locomotive 9901, named Zephyrus, leads Burlington Route’s Twin Zephyr into Aurora, Ill., about 38 miles into the streamliner’s Chicago–Minneapolis run sometime in 1937. L. E. Griffith photo […]

Read More…

UP derailment in Louisiana leads to evacuation

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

KEACHI, La. — About 130 people are under an evacuation order today (Saturday, Jan. 28) after a Union Pacific train derailed near Shreveport, La., Friday night and began leaking hazardous materials, the Associated Press reports. Approximately 16 cars derailed about 10:30 p.m. in Keachi (also spelled as Keatchie), about 30 miles southwest of Shreveport. Louisiana […]

Read More…

Sandersville Railroad Company profile

Sandersville Railroad Company logo

Sandersville Railroad Company summary The Sandersville Railroad Company (SAN) is a short line railroad that operates in east-central Georgia. It’s been a family-owned business for more than a century with Ben J. Tarbutton III serving as president in recent years. Though only operating a 10-mile main line through its namesake town, the railroad hauls a […]

Read More…

Pioneer Valley Railroad Company profile

Pinsly Railroad Company logo

Pioneer Valley Railroad Company summary The Pioneer Valley Railroad Company (PVRR) is a short line railroad that operates in western Massachusetts. It’s owned by the Pinsly Railroad Company, a family-owned holding firm that was established in 1938. About 16 miles of standard-gauge track connects industries, warehouses and transload facilities between Westfield and Holyoke. History Before […]

Read More…

Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad profile

Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad logo

Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad summary The Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad (PN) is a Class III short line railroad that operates north of Philadelphia. With 100 miles of standard-gauge track, the railroad serves customers in Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery counties on what was known as the “Lansdale Cluster” of CSX Transportation. History The tracks of what is now […]

Read More…