Winnipeg rail museum will remain at current home

Entry of Winnipeg Union Station

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Winnipeg Railway Museum, which had faced relocation, will be able to remain at the city’s Union Station. The museum has signed a 25-year lease with VIA Rail Canada to remain at the downtown building, the Winnipeg Free Press reports, as long as it addresses fire code issues in its portion of […]

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Strike begins by GO Transit workers

Commuter train equipment in yard with one train passing on main line

TORONTO — A strike by 2,200 GO Transit workers began at 12:01 a.m. today (Monday, Nov. 7) after talks broke down over the weekend, halting bus service by the Toronto-area transit agency. The seven GO rail lines and UP Express service to Pearson Airport continue to operate. The strike is by Amalgamated Transit Union Local […]

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CN, CP set single-month records for Canadian grain movement (updated)

Canadian National and Canadian Pacific logos

Canadian National set a single-month record for movement of Western Canadian grain in October, the company said, moving more than 3.23 million metric tons. Canadian Pacific also set a grain-movement record for the month, moving 3.14 metric tons. This surpassed its previous best month by 100,000 metric tons. CN’s figure exceeded its previous best month, […]

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Canadian government, Lac-Mégantic agree on land acquisition

Map of Lac-Megantic Bypass

LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — The Canadian government has reached an agreement in principle with the town of Lac-Mégantic on the purchase of land needed for construction of a rail bypass around the community, Transport Canada has announced. The agreement will allow both parties to prepare the deed of sale for the land owned by the town. […]

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Ottawa light rail extensions fall further behind schedule

Map of Ottawa light rail system

OTTAWA — Extensions to Ottawa’s light rail lines continue to fall behind schedule, with the western extension of the electrified Confederation line now likely to be completed 17 months late, and the southern addition to the diesel-powered Trillium line at least a year overdue. The CBC reports a city committee was told Tuesday that the […]

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Responding to inquiries, Transport Canada adjusts, clarifies High Frequency Rail process

Transport Canada logo

OTTAWA — More than 50 parties have made initial inquiries regarding the High Frequency Rail project, the plan to build a passenger-only right-of-way for VIA Rail Canada’s Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City corridor, Transport Canada said Monday in announcing the next step in the government’s procurement process to develop that corridor. The initial step, the Request for Expressions […]

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News photo: First remanufactured CN units now in operation

Shiny new read and black locomotives on freight train

LONDON, Ontario — The first two Canadian National locomotives in an order for 50 remanufactured AC44C6M units are now in service. Nos. 3300 and 3301 were photographed Sunday, Oct. 30, in London, Ont., on CN’s Dundas Subdivision. No. 3300 was part of a ceremony involving CN and Wabtec officials at Wabtec’s Fort Worth, Texas, plant […]

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GO Transit strike averted

Commuter train equipment in yard with one train passing on main line

TORONTO — GO Transit parent Metrolinx and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1587 have reached tentative agreement on a new contract, averting a possible strike by 2,200 GO Transit workers that was set to begin on Monday, Oct. 31. The CBC reports union members will vote on the agreement next week. The union represents bus drivers, […]

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Bombardier HR616 locomotive, a diesel that didn’t

Bombardier HR616 locomotive with black-and-white stripes

The Bombardier HR616 locomotive sold just 20 copies to one railroad, qualifying it as a Diesel That Didn’t. In North America, when we think of builders of diesel road locomotives, we usually conjure visions of EMD, GE, Wabtec, Alco, Baldwin, and Fairbanks-Morse. But there were others, including Canada’s Bombardier. The Montreal-headquartered rail transportation arm of […]

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Alpenglow Rail acquires terminal in Alberta

Aerial view of yard tracks with tank cars

DENVER — Alpenglow Rail Services Corp and partner Connor, Clark & Lunn Infrastructure have acquired Alberta Midland Railway Terminal Ltd., the companies announced this week. The terminal, approximately 30 kilometers (18.6) miles east of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, in the Greater Edmonton region, becomes Alpenglow’s third rail terminal in Canada to go with three in the […]

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