ST. PAUL, Minn. — In a social media post Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced the long-awaited second passenger train between St. Paul and Chicago will begin service in 2024. MnDOT is also asking potential passengers to take a survey about amenities they would like to see aboard the train. The Wisconsin Department of […]
HOPE, British Columbia — Police are investigating what they say was an attempt to derail a train in British Columbia’s Fraser Canyon and are seeking public assistance. The Hope and Boston Bar offices of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police say that on Oct. 22 at 3:18 a.m., an individual placed a vice clamp on the […]
ROMULUS, Mich. — Fourteen cars of a CSX Transportation freight train derailed in the Detroit suburb of Romulus today (Thursday, Nov. 2), leading to the closure of two schools “out of an abudance of caution,” the city’s mayor said. No injuries were reported and no leaks or spills resulted from the derailment about 10 a.m., […]
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The National Railroad Museum in Green Bay will receive $7 million in funding for expansion of its facilities, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced today (Thursday, Nov. 2.) The museum expansion is one of five projects, totaling $36.6 million, selected for funding under the American Rescue Plan Act, 2021 legislation intended to […]
WASHINGTON — Richmond, Va.’s, newly-rehabilitated Main Street Station will host Amtrak’s once-yearly public Board of Directors meeting on Friday, Dec. 1. Unlike last year’s annual meeting at St. Louis Union Station, this year’s gathering will be preceded by presentations from Virginia and North Carolina passenger rail operating agencies, as well as Amtrak officials. The meeting […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific will send Big Boy No. 4014 on a “Four Corners” tour of its system in 2024, the railroad announced today, including stops in Oregon, California, Texas, and Illinois. “As we move forward at Union Pacific, we remember where we came from; the Big Boy represents the history of Union Pacific […]
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board’s probe into the Oct. 15 derailment of a BNSF Railway coal train near Pueblo, Colo., will focus on the railroad’s track maintenance and inspection procedures, the agency said today in its preliminary report on the fatal wreck. Some of the 30 loaded coal gondolas that derailed near a […]
Photo charters (not excursions) are an art form From coal to oil to electric, train photo charters are gaining momentum — there’s no question about it. There is also very little argument as to why steam locomotives are typically a fan favorite. The smell of coal burning is unmatched. The loud roars surfacing from a […]
BERN, Switzerland — The Gotthard Base Tunnel will not fully reopen to passenger and freight traffic until September 2024, Swiss Federal Railways announced today (Thursday, Nov. 2), saying ongoing repairs from an Aug. 10 derailment in the tunnel have found much more severe damage than initially believed. The Aug. 10 incident caused damage for more […]
Canadian National has acquired a stake in Genesee & Wyoming short line Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Railway, which operates the easternmost trackage in North America. Under the deal announced on Wednesday, CN will manage interline shipments for customers on the 145-mile CBNS. G&W will continue to operate the railroad, which connects with CN […]
WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives’ vote on appropriations for the Department of Transportation, which would include a 64% cut in Amtrak funding as well as a prohibition on federal funds for California’s high speed rail project, is still pending. It had originally been reported as on the schedule for Wednesday [see “House set to […]
WASHINGTON — In a new report, the National Transportation Safety Board calls on the Federal Railroad Administration to incorporate new technologies into existing positive train control systems and address issues with PTC in its current form. The 51-page report, available here, says safety issues remain in existing PTC systems in the form of: — Insufficient […]
