PUEBLO, Colo. — For a guy who goes around in circles at work every day, MxV Rail locomotive engineer Mike Walfoort sure gets a lot done. At the beginning of each 10-hour shift he climbs aboard an SD70M that’s on the point of a 114-car train of surplus coal gondolas. He slowly notches the throttle […]
WASHINGTON — Parties in the settlement intended to lead to the start of Gulf Coast passenger service said in a status report to the Surface Transportation Board that negotiations between Amtrak and the city of Mobile for a lease of downtown city land “are continuing to move forward.” The report filed Friday by Amtrak, Norfolk […]
WASHINGTON — Some 33 rail-related projects are among those receiving $3.3 billion in funding under the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program announced earlier this week by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The program seeks to address rail lines, highways, or other transportations that create barriers within communities, improving access to daily needs such as […]
WASHINGTON — Ancora Holdings, which is leading an activist investor group that’s fighting a proxy battle to oust Norfolk Southern’s management, has responded to Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman’s request for a meeting about its plans for the railroad. “We suggest a discussion with yourself and the continuing Board Members once we have […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board on Thursday denied Union Pacific’s request for a protective order that would have put a cloak of confidentiality over the temporary employment data the railroad is required to submit. In its decision, the board also directed UP to submit public versions of previously submitted data. UP submitted its petition […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York will fund some $111.1 million for 38 rail and port infrastructure improvement projects — the largest amount ever awarded under the state’s Passenger and Freight Rail Assistance Program — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday. The projects address safety and resilience, support efforts to move freight traffic from truck to rail, […]
Notes from presentations by Class I railroad officials today (March 13) at the 2024 J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference: Football fever on Union Pacific In January and February, Union Pacific’s unionized railroaders used half of the eight new sick days that have been allotted for the year, CEO Jim Vena says. “On top of that for […]
Ancora Holdings, the activist investor leading a proxy fight against Norfolk Southern, says it’s taking the high road and conducting a fact-based campaign to oust the railroad’s management. The reality is that Ancora is stuck on the misinformation highway with a safety white paper that makes several claims that can’t hold up to scrutiny. Ancora’s […]
CHICAGO — Upgrading speeds and capacity or simply keeping tracks well-maintained for passenger trains has tradeoffs that often compromise a rail corridor’s ability to provide meaningful mobility while the work is going on. An example will occur in Michigan beginning May 6, when Amtrak and the state of Michigan jointly made the decision to suspend […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway eliminated several hundred management positions at its headquarters and across the system last week as part of a belt-tightening move. The railroad did not disclose how many jobs were affected, but people familiar with the matter say that BNSF cut 8% of its management workforce. That would translate into […]
WASHINGTON — When the Surface Transportation Board names the members of its first Rail Passenger Advisory Committee, it will be worth remembering that the competition for places among the panels 18 voting members was fiercer for some seats than for others. As outlined in the January call for nominations, the panel has a very specific […]
WASHINGTON — The Transportation Trades Division of the AFL-CIO today urged Norfolk Southern shareholders to reject an activist investor’s bid to gain control of the railroad. Ancora Holdings, which has been critical of Norfolk Southern’s response to the Feb. 3, 2023, hazardous materials derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, as well as the railroad’s lagging financial […]
