News photo: Second new VIA trainset delivered

Yellow freight locomotive with passenger train in tow

MONTREAL — The second set of new Siemens equipment for VIA Rail Canada corridor service has been delivered. With Union Pacific ES44AC No. 5275 providing power for the entire trip from the Siemens plant in Sacramento, the new trainset was delivered to VIA’s Montreal Maintenance Centre early on Saturday, Aug. 6. VIA is receiving 32 […]

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More rockslides hit White Pass & Yukon dock in Skagway

Aerial photo of dock and cruise ship next to cliff

SKAGWAY, Alaska — Two rockslides in a three-day period last week have led to the full closure of the White Pass & Yukon dock at the Port of Skagway, and the dock is expected to remain closed for the remainder of the 2022 sailing season. The website Cruise Hive reports slides on Wednesday, Aug. 3, […]

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Rapido Trains HO scale barrel ore hoppers

Screen capture of two HO scale freight cars

Rapido Trains HO scale barrel ore hoppers Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he reviews the new HO scale National Steel Car barrel ore hoppers from Rapido Trains. The models are offered in 35- and 42-foot versions and are decorated for Canadian National and Ontario Northland in various paint schemes. The ready-to-run barrel ore hoppers […]

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Rapido Trains HO scale barrel ore hoppers

Screen capture of two HO scale freight cars

Rapido Trains HO scale barrel ore hoppers Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he reviews the new HO scale National Steel Car barrel ore hoppers from Rapido Trains. The models are offered in 35- and 42-foot versions and are decorated for Canadian National and Ontario Northland in various paint schemes. The ready-to-run barrel ore hoppers […]

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Hudson Bay Railway to get major government funding support

VIA_ChurchIll_Johnston

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The governments of Canada and the province of Manitoba will invest C$147.8 million to upgrade the Hudson Bay Railway, the only year-round ground transportation link to the isolated community of Churchill, Man., which is also Canada’s lone arctic port. The Canadian Press reports the new funds are in addition to the C$157 […]

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Union ratifies three-year agreement with VIA Rail

Logo of Canadian union Unifor

MONTREAL — Members of Canada’s Unifor union have ratified the contracts from last month’s tentative agreement between the union and VIA Rail Canada covering some 2,400 VIA worker. The union represents on-board personnel, maintenance workers, and those in VIA’s customer center and administrative offices. The new agreements will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2022, and […]

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Canadian National releases 2022-23 Grain Plan

Cover of document with CN locomotive

MONTREAL — The continued addition of more new grain hoppers, along with the addition of new locomotives and ongoing hiring efforts, are key elements in Canadian National Railway’s 2022-23 Grain Plan, released last week. The plan outlines CN’s preparations for moving up to 27 million metric tons of grain from western Canada in the crop […]

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Ottawa light rail system could resume full operation today

Red and white light rail trainset in station

OTTAWA — Full service on the O-Train Confederation Line is projected to resume today (Friday, July 29) after a lightning strike Sunday damaged part of the catenary for the light rail system. CTV News reports a precise time has not been determined, with Troy Charter, OC Transpo’s director of transit and rail operations, saying a […]

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Transport Canada announces new rules regarding train brakes

OTTAWA — The Canadian government will require railroads to revise rules regarding inspection and maintenance of air brakes and develop a winter operating plan under a ministerial order announced Monday. The move is one of several undertaken by Transport Canada as a result of Transportation Safety Board findings into the February 2019 runaway of a […]

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Catenary damage from storm disrupts Ottawa light rail system

ottawa_o_train

OTTAWA — Damage to sections of catenary from a lightning strike led to disruption of light rail service on the O-Train Confederation Line on Monday, and the problems will take several days to repair, OC Transpo’s general manager has told city council members. The Ottawa Citizen reports catenary wires were downed between the uOttawa and […]

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Ontario Northland train visits southern Ontario for TV production

Blue and yellow passenger equipment on bridge

An Ontario Northland Railway passenger train is working its way back to Cochrane, Ontario, after several days use in filming of the Hulu TV series “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which has been shooting at locations around Southern Ontario. Filming occurred on GIO Rail’s Trillium Railway July 20-23, with the train initially parked at the Ceres Global […]

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