MONTREAL — Commuter operator Exo is set to begin operating 44 new bilevel railcars built by China’s CRRC on its Saint-Jérôme line today (Tuesday, June 25). At least one set of the cars, part of a C$204 million order, was reportedly in service as of last Friday, June 21. The original 24-car order was modified […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Ten cars of CN train derail in remote Ontario location
JOGUES, Ontario — Ten cars of a Canadian National train derailed Monday, June 24, in northeastern Ontario, leading to a precautionary evacuation because of a diesel fuel leak from one of the cars. CTV News reports the incident occurred about 2:45 p.m. in Jogues. The community of 214 is about 5 miles southwest of Hearst, […]
CSX line reopens after Harpers Ferry bridge fire (updated)
HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — CSX has reopened one track of its two-track main line at Harpers Ferry, W.Va., about 3:30 a.m. today (Tuesday, June 25) and expected the other to be reopened by midday following Monday’s fire on the bridge across the Potomac River. The Hagerstown Herald-Mail reports railroad spokesman Bryan Tucker wrote in an […]
Bridge fire shuts down CSX main line at Harpers Ferry, W.Va. (updated)
HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — CSX’s double-track main line at Harpers Ferry has been shut down after a reported bridge deck fire this afternoon (Monday, June 24), leading to a cancellation of Amtrak’s Capitol Limited and disrupting freight service and MARC commuter rail operations. Eyewitness photos looking east from the original Baltimore & Ohio train station […]
RailState shines spotlight on Union Pacific and BNSF train length in Southwest
QUINCY, Mass. – RailState, which tabulates rail traffic using a network of sensors placed on public property along main lines, last week provided a snapshot of long trains rolling along BNSF Railway and Union Pacific in the Southwest. The longest train RailState spotted over a 10-day period this month: A five-locomotive UP stack train carrying […]
BNSF bridge on South Dakota-Iowa state line collapses
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. — A portion of a BNSF Railway bridge connecting North Sioux City, S.D., and Sioux City, Iowa, collapsed Sunday night, as heavy rains and flooding continue to take a toll on the area. “We have been monitoring the region through our increased track inspections and had not been operating over the […]
Federal government issues final rule requiring railroads to provide hazardous-material information to first responders
WASHINGTON — The federal government has issued its final rule requiring railroads to provide real-time electronic information on hazardous material to first responders in the event of a derailment or other incident. The rule from the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is one of many regulatory actions spurred by last year’s […]
News photos: Chargers debut on Auto Train
LORTON, Va. — Amtrak has begun testing its Siemens Charger ALC42 long-distance locomotives in Auto Train service, with two of the diesels making their first appearance as part of a four-locomotive consist on the southbound train on Friday, June 21. Photographer Sol Tucker shot the locomotives putting the train together in Lorton; Nathan Richters photographed […]
Del Mar Fairgrounds voices opposition to potential rail tunnel
DEL MAR, Calif. — As the San Diego Association of Governments considers potential routes for a rail tunnel to replace the Surf Line route along the Del Mar bluffs, it can rest assured of one thing: Whatever it does, someone will be unhappy. SANDAG recently chose three potential routes for the tunnel in order to […]
Rock slide blocks Durango & Silverton route
DURANGO, Colo. — Trips to Silverton, Colo., on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad could be disrupted until at least Wednesday, June 26, after a rock slide was discovered Saturday morning, the Durango Herald reports. The slide, near Milepost 486 north of Needleton, was reported at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. It occurred sometime after the […]
BNSF Railway adds wind screen on bridge in Abo Canyon
FORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway’s engineering crews have added a 1,300-foot wind fence to block the pesky prevailing wind on a bridge in Abo Canyon on its Southern Transcon in New Mexico. The Clovis Subdivision bridge, at milepost 874.2 near the west end of the canyon, experiences more severe winds due to the terrain, […]
Alabama port authority votes to help fund Amtrak service
MOBILE, Ala. — A once-unlikely source — the Alabama State Port Authority — has agreed to provide a share of the funding needed to launch Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. On Tuesday, the Port Authority board, once a vehement opponent of Gulf Coast service on the grounds it might interfere with freight […]