U.S. rail traffic falls in April

Weekly table showing U.S. carload traffic by commodity, plus intermodal totals

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic in April fell 5.8% from levels in 2021, marking the third time in four months volume was down over previous-year levels. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads showed carload traffic was down by 31.929 carloads, or 3.4%, compared to April 2021, while intermodal traffic decreased by 90,869 units, or […]

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London Crossrail’s Elizabeth Line set for May 24 opening

New, not-yet-open subway station

LONDON — The underground portion of London’s long-delayed Crossrail project is scheduled to open May 24, agency Transport for London has announced. Initial plans for the route to offer 12 trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Woods Mondays through Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., with continuing work in the off-hours and on […]

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News photos: New special Metra paint scheme honors Chicago

Three-quarter view of diesel with Chicago paint scheme

CHICAGO — Metra on Wednesday unveiled a special paint scheme to honor the city of Chicago on F40PH-3 No. 104, with the commuter agency saying the locomotive will make its debut May 14-15 to move cars to be displayed at Pullman Railroad Days [see “More features added to Pullman Railroad Days,” Trains News Wire, May […]

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Union Pacific and TuSimple delay launch of autonomous truck service

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

SAN DIEGO – Union Pacific and autonomous trucking company TuSimple have delayed plans to begin driverless truck moves between the railroad’s Tucson intermodal terminal and the Phoenix area. The companies in February said they’d launch the service this spring. But the service has been pushed to the third quarter because TuSimple and UP have shifted […]

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More features added to Pullman Railroad Days

Multi-story brick building with center clock tower

CHICAGO — The “Last Pullman Car,” Amtrak Superliner George M. Pullman, and a locomotive simulator from Norfolk Southern have been added to the upcoming Pullman Railroad Days, to be held May 14-15 at the Pullman National Monument and hosted by the Historic Pullman Foundation, the monument’s non-profit partner. The Superliner, the last car built by […]

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Austin suburb votes on severing ties with transit agency

Austin MetroRail service has been shut down Monday and Tuesday because of winter weather. TRAINS: David Lassen

LEANDER, Texas — Voters in Leander will decide Saturday whether to end a 37-year relationship with Austin-area transit agency Capital Metro in a Saturday election, which could halt commuter rail service to the community. Leander is the northernmost stop on the CapMetro Red Line, a 32-mile, nine-station system served by Stadler Rail diesel multiple-unit trainsets. […]

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Charlotte Western Railroad begins operation

Logo of Charlotte Western Railroad

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Western Railroad, the newest short line of Jaguar Transport Holdings, began operations Monday, May 2, as contract operator on 13 miles of track owned by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. “We are excited for the opportunity to establish our first operation in North Carolina and the southeastern US,” Jaguar CEO […]

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Biden’s Amtrak Board nominations lack qualifications demanded by Congress: Analysis

Three trains — one freight, two passengers — meet on triple-track main line.

WASHINGTON — In theory, any organization’s board of directors must possess enough expertise in the business it oversees to analyze and pass judgement on whether management’s policies fulfill the organization’s goals. In Amtrak’s reauthorizing Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted last November, Congress was clear it now requires board members exercising such oversight to possess […]

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