STB gets an earful about KCS-NS Meridian Speedway joint venture

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WASHINGTON – Surface Transportation Board members appear skeptical about CSX Transportation’s bid to force its way on to the Kansas City Southern-Norfolk Southern Meridian Speedway. The Meridian Speedway — which runs from Meridian, Miss., to Shreveport, La., — is the shortest, fastest route between the Southeast and Southwest. NS and KCS formed the Meridian Speedway […]

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BNSF’s Truxton Flyover: improving traffic flows on Southern Transcon

Train on bridge crossing over railroad tracks in desert landscape

BNSF’s Truxton Flyover project Truxton, Ariz., is not exactly one of the metropolitan centers of the American Southwest. “Population: very small,” says Craig Rasmussen, BNSF Railway assistant vice president, engineering services and structures. Officially, as of the 2020 census, 104 people live in the hamlet 42 miles northeast of Kingman, Ariz., on U.S. Route 66. […]

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BNSF derailment in Montana leads to gasoline spill

Damaged railcars in night photo

BRIDGER, Mont. — Residents near Bridger, Mont., were issued an evacuation warning late Friday night after a BNSF derailment that spilled about 31,000 gallons of gasoline, KTVQ-TV reports. Fifteen cars were reported to have derailed in the accident at about 11:30 p.m. about a half-mile east of Bridger. No injuries were reported. In addition to […]

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Pacific Surfliner, Metrolink facing 60-day service outage to Oceanside, San Diego official says

Blue and silver-painted locomotive at a station platform surrounding by brown steel work and palm trees. Amtrak Pacific Surfliner renewable diesel.

SAN DIEGO — The interruption of passenger service between South Orange County and Oceanside, Calif, could last for two months, an official with San Diego’s planning agency told broadcaster KPBS. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and LA-area commuter operator Metrolink halted service through San Clemente, Calif., on Friday, over concerns about erosion along a portion of the […]

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UP, BNSF say CP-KCS merger traffic will melt down Houston terminal

Train of auto racks meets locomotives

WASHINGTON – Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern executives say there’s plenty of capacity in Houston to handle the eight additional trains per day they’ll run through the busy terminal within three years after their merger. But Union Pacific and BNSF Railway told federal regulators, in testimony Thursday and Friday, that they have grave concerns […]

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CP and KCS tout and defend their merger on first day of regulatory hearings

Container train under overhead signals

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday’s first day of public hearings regarding their proposed merger, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern sought to blunt criticism of their $31 billion combination by preemptively addressing concerns raised by other Class I railroads, Chicago-area commuter railroad Metra, and lineside communities in the Midwest. Merger opponents — including Metra and communities […]

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Machinists’ union reaches second tentative agreement with railroads

Numerous yellow locomotives parked in service area. Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena asks FRA for rolling stock inspection data.

WASHINGTON – The machinists’ union has reached a second tentative agreement with Class I railroads, just under two weeks after the rank and file rejected the union’s first tentative deal. “We are pleased to announce that the nation’s freight railroads have reached a tentative agreement with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM),” […]

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