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MINNEAPOLIS — Metro Transit will pull the plug on its Northstar commuter rail service in January due to a lethal combination of low ridership and rising costs. More frequent bus service will replace the trains beginning Jan. 5, 2026, Metro Transit officials said during a Metropolitan Council meeting yesterday. The last weekday Northstar trip will […]
There is a special bond shared by fathers, sons, and trains. My father and I share a passion for riding and photographing trains. This spring, my father’s health took a bad turn. To cheer him up, we chatted about his early experiences riding trains and our many travels together. I mentioned how the New York, […]
CHICAGO — Railcar builder FreightCar America reported adjusted net income of $3.8 million, or $0.11 per share, in the second quarter despite weaker revenue from lower deliveries, beating market estimates of $.06 per share. The company said revenue for the quarter ending June 30 totaled $118.6 million, compared to $147.4 million in same quarter last […]
CHICAGO — A text and email alert received overnight by passengers ticketed on Amtrak’s eastbound California Zephyr departing Denver Monday, July 28, warned, “Train 6 will have reduced seating capacity due to unplanned equipment maintenance needs. Passengers may have difficulty finding seats. Passengers are encouraged to rebook travel if possible. We apologize for any inconvenience.” […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic continues to run ahead of 2024 levels. According to Association of American Railroad statistics, traffic for the week ending Aug. 2, 2025, was 513,529 carloads and intermodal units, a 2.9% increase over the same week a year earlier. That figure included 233,805 carloads, up 6.4%, and 279,724 containers and […]
Like his father, the Midwest Central Railroad became a siren for Kendall Osier, who now serves multiple mechanical and operating positions at the 3-foot gauge railroad in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Alongside his wife, Lauren, the 24-year-old is also the co-founder and president of the Midwest Narrow Gauge Preservation Society, a fledgling non-profit whose mission is […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has opened a new track and platform at Washington Union Station, expanding the facility’s capacity. Track 22, on the station’s lower level, previously was a storage track with no passenger access. It will primarily serve Virginia Railway Express commuter trains, as well as Amtrak long distance and Virginia trains. The project required […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has granted Amtrak’s request to dismiss the passenger operator’s complaint over handling of the Sunset Limited and close the board’s investigation into the matter. “The Board favors parties coming together to voluntarily resolve disputes whenever possible, and I commend the parties here for finding a mutually satisfactory outcome,” STB […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis has issued its final Environmental Impact Statement for the Green Eagle Railroad, a 1.3-mile line that would be part of a new 19-mile rail route and bridge connecting Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negas, Mexico. The report addresses two route alternatives, the Southern and Northern […]
WASHINGTON — None of Amtrak’s three business segments achieved the target of 80% customer on-time performance in the second quarter of 2025, the fourth consecutive quarter that has been the case. The quarterly on-time performance report was released last week by the Federal Railroad Administration. State-supported trains fared best in statistics released by the Federal Railroad […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF set an all-time monthly record for terminal dwell in July, with cars spending an average of 21 hours in its major yards. Terminals that set new marks for low dwell include Barstow, Calif.; Belen, N.M.; Northtown, Minn.; and Pasco, Wash. BNSF’s intermodal and automotive terminal in Pearland, Texas, which serves […]
GREEN RIVER, Wyo. — OmniTRAX has been selected as the switching partner for Tata Chemical Soda Ash Partners’ mine in Green River, one of North America’s largest soda ash mines and home of one of the world’s largest reserves of trona ore. The agreement, effective as of Aug. 1, will provide dedicated shipping and track […]
