MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada’s “Lumi” trainset — a Siemens Venture train painted yellow in homage to the passenger operator’s TurboTrain equipment of the past — is now in operation in Ontario-Quebec corridor service. The one-of-a-kind trainset was introduced at a media event last month [see “VIA Rail Canada unveils specially painted corridor trainset,” Trains […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — Air Canada has joined one of the consortia bidding for Canada’s High Frequency Rail project, raising concerns about conflict of interest and transparency in the bidding process. The Canadian airline and SNCF Voyageurs, the operating arm of the French national railways, were both late additions to the Cadence consortium, Global News reports, […]
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. — BNSF Railway is planning to use controlled blasting for the demolition of the bridge over the Big Sioux River that collapsed in flooding in June, KTLV-TV reports. The railroad has obtained the necessary local permits to conduct the blasting, but still needs a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of […]
NORTHAMPTON, Pa. — The Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society/Railroad Historians of the Lehigh Valley are hosting an “Alco Seminar” on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Northampton Event Center. The event will feature speakers who had a hand in the design and operation of Alcos, officials from railroads with Alco power, and […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was up in July compared to the same month in 2023, the sixth straight month of gains in volume, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Traffic for the week ending Aug. 3 was also ahead of the same week a year ago. The monthly figures show U.S. […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has completed its multiyear project to add track and fueling capacity on the approach to its yard in Belen, N.M., where trains stop to change crews, undergo inspection, and have their locomotives’ fuel tanks topped off. “Belen, New Mexico, is really the heartbeat of our Southern Transcon, accounting for […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern Chief Operating Officer John Orr has named three veteran officials to lead the railroad’s transportation team. Tim Livingston, who worked with Orr at Kansas City Southern and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, joins NS as senior vice president of transportation and network operations. Reporting to Livingston will be Rodney Moore, vice president […]
ESSEX, Conn. — The Valley Railroad Co. will be the site of a two-day photography event Oct. 8-9 featuring the heritage railroad’s steam locomotives. Steam Charters, hosted by Dak Dilon Photography, is organizing the event. Plans for Oct. 8 call for a freight train from Old Saybrook to Goodspeed station to be pulled by Valley […]
Rail shipper groups say the poor on-time performance of all 15 Amtrak long-distance trains — which prompted the Justice Department to file a lawsuit last week against Norfolk Southern for its handling of the Crescent — is merely a reflection of Class I railroad freight operations. “This is a symptom of freight rail network capacity […]
MOBILE, Ala. — The Super Bowl will be played in New Orleans at Caesars Superdome on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. Mardi Gras’ Fat Tuesday celebration, perhaps the biggest event in both Mobile and the Crescent City, happens to be late next year: March 4. The race is now on to begin Amtrak Gulf Coast service […]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Railroads’ success is often defined by service metrics like car dwell, velocity, or the operating ratio. These measurements are snapshots documenting how long railcars idle or how quickly trains move between points. Better velocity means more profitability. These subjects have been a growing part of the conversation since Precision Scheduled Railroading was […]
CAMPOBELLO, S.C. — The organizations seeking to turn the Saluda Grade, once the steepest rail main line in the U.S., into a 31-mile trail, has signed a contract with Norfolk Southern to purchase the right-of-way. The Greenville Journal reports the Saluda Grade Trail Conservancy announced it signed the contract on Monday, Aug. 5. Terms of […]
