CHICAGO — Commuter rail operator Metra has released a proposed 2023 operating budget of $980 million that includes several options for continuing to discount monthly passes and simplifying other aspects of its fare structure, as well as plans for more than $500 million in capital spending. The agency is also soliciting comment on a newly […]
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Canadian government on Thursday announced a series of steps to streamline shipping regulations and improve use of digital information in Canada’s supply chain, moves Transport Minister Omar Alghabra described as “a first step toward addressing recommendations by the National Supply Chain task force.” The moves announced Thursday, backed by a government […]
TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Cleanup continued Thursday after about a dozen cars of an Eastern Idaho Railroad derailed Wednesday night, KMTV reports. No injuries or hazardous-materials situation were reported as a result of the accident, which blocked Hankins Road in the southern Idaho community. The Eastern Idaho Railroad, a Watco property, operates 385 route-miles in […]
PITTSBURGH — Wabtec Corp. has signed a five-year agreement with European equipment leasing firm Akiem to provide maintenance of critical components for Akiem locomotive fleets, the companies have announced. The agreement covers brake components, pantographs, and HVAC systems for Alstom-built Prima and Traxx locomotives in France and Germany, and aims to maximize equipment availability for […]
Rock Island train 34 rocks and rolls its way into the yard at El Dorado, Ark., in February 1980, a few months before the troubled carrier shut down. Paul D. Schneider photo […]
A scary tale of two train wrecks: Around the time of All Hallows’ Eve, it is tradition to subject ourselves to dark, scary tales intended to make us afraid of the dark and fear those things that go bump in the night. The vast majority of these stories are pure fiction that, when peeled back, […]
Yard Dog In mid-September 2022, the first nationwide railroad strike in three decades was narrowly averted thanks to a tentative deal between Class I railroads and three labor unions. The news brought to mind a labor dispute more than 30 years ago — and an unusual picket line. In the 1980s, railroaders in Norfolk, Nebraska’s […]
Custom-decorated refrigerator cars Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $50 + shipping Manufacturer: Produced by InterMountain Railway Co., available from Three Notch Rail, HOI@hotmail.com, threenotchrail.blogspot.com Features: Based on Pacific Car & Foundry R-70-15 prototype Etched-metal side screens and roofwalk supports 33” InterMountain metal wheelsets Metal knuckle couplers Minimum radius: 22” Release Date: Available now Road name: Sun […]
WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board has created a passenger rail office that will be responsible for investigating and analyzing Amtrak on-time performance on host railroads. The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 authorizes the STB to investigate the causes of substandard passenger rail on-time performance, to identify mitigating measures, and, under specified […]
DURANGO, Colo. – A Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad crew helped rescue a missing hiker on Monday. The Durango Herald reports that a passenger on a northbound train spotted a woman waving frantically from the opposite bank of the Animas River about five miles south of Silverton. The passenger notified the crew, which in […]
FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Members of the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, which represents 2,400 workers, have ratified their tentative contract agreement with the U.S. Class I railroads. The vote was passed with a 58.7% margin in favor of the contract recommendations made by the Presidential Emergency Board, the union announced on Thursday. “The […]
WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board on Tuesday granted a request from all parties involved to extend by 14 days the board-sponsored mediation regarding Amtrak’s effort to launch Gulf Coast passenger service. Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority will continue to talk through Oct. 25. All parties agreed that “an […]
