MILWAUKIE, Ore. — Three people were injured Friday when a Tri-Met light rail train crashed into the end-of-track bumper at the Southeast Park Avenue station in Milwaukee. KATU-TV reports the train’s operator and two of the three passengers onboard were injured; the operator was transported to a nearby hospital. Tri-Met spokeswoman Tia York said the […]
Actor Michael Gross shares hobby insights | Yes, that @actormichaelgross is engaged to present a keynote address at the Gateway 2022 National Model Railroad Association’s (NMRA) convention banquet on Saturday, August 13, 2022. Prior to this St. Louis, Mo., event, Michael graciously took time out of his busy schedule to talk with Eric White, Editor […]
National passenger carrier Amtrak recently turned 50 years old. To mark the occasion, Lionel has released a LionChief 2.0 version of its P42 Genesis locomotive. These engines will run on O-31 curves and they’re loaded with detail. They feature operating couplers front and rear, a nice pilot with MU detail, ditch lights, headlights, a spectacular […]
WASHINGTON — The Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger would cause few if any adverse environmental impacts aside from increased train noise in some locations, the Surface Transportation Board said in a draft environmental analysis released on Friday. The 357-page draft EIS also said the merger would have little effect on rail safety or emergency response […]
NEW YORK — Nine Amtrak executives received bonuses of $200,000 or more in 2021 despite lower ridership and revenue in the wake of the COViD-19 pandemic, after none were awarded in 2020, the New York Times has reported. Six people received bonuses of $200,000 or more in pre-pandemic 2019. There were also no bonuses awarded […]
Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman says railroad service is suffering for one simple reason: The big four U.S. Class I systems aren’t paying enough to retain and recruit train crews. BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific are experiencing ongoing crew shortages that since last year have caused widespread congestion and […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Two of 11 weekday Amtrak round trips between Sacramento and Oakland’s Jack London Square station will be suspended beginning Aug. 15 by the operating agency, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority. The suspensions are scheduled to last through Oct. 2. An announcement to riders says the “service reduction is necessary due to […]
DAVENPORT, Iowa — A former mayor of Davenport is urging the city to turn down its tentative $10 million agreement with Canadian Pacific and organize a regional effort to block the railroad’s proposed merger with Kansas City Southern. Meanwhile, the city of Muscatine, some 30 miles southwest along the Mississippi River, has approved a $3 […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern, Canadian Pacific, and equipment leasing company GATX are among the parties launching an effort to save the monarch butterfly by contributing to its habitat at a preserve in Mexico. The Save the Monarch Butterfly 60,000 Tree Challenge North American Boxcar Tour aims to raise $100,000 to plant 60,000 […]
WASHINGTON — The independent agency which oversees DC Metrorail safety issues has ordered the transit operator to inspect, clean, and maintain control rooms at its stations, saying Metro has failed to live up to its pledge to do so. The Washington Post reports the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission conducted inspections of control rooms across the […]
WASHINGTON — When veteran Union Pacific locomotive engineer Michael Lindsey II looks at the industry he loves, he doesn’t like what he sees. So he has become outspoken on issues ranging from crew shortages and ongoing service problems to labor contracts and railroad regulation. He’s written two letters to the Surface Transportation Board this year. […]
CLEVELAND — The union representing train dispatchers has authorized a strike in the event a new labor agreement is not reached under provisions of the Railway Labor Act, which currently has the contract dispute in the hands of a Presidential Emergency Board. The American Train Dispatchers Association says in a statement that over 99% of […]
