WEST CHESTER, Pa. — A third county has approved formation of a new agency to lead efforts to restore rail passenger service between Reading, Pa., and Philadelphia, making official the organization’s creation. WFMZ-TV reports commissioners in Chester County unanimously approved a resolution on Wednesday to form the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority, following similar approvals […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
High speed rail to provide $423 million for LA Union Station project
LOS ANGELES — The California High-Speed Rail Authority will provide more than $400 million for the project to improve Los Angeles Union Station, a project which will see through tracks for commuter and intercity rail operations created at the current stub-ended station in downtown L.A. The authority’s board on Wednesday approved the agreement with LA […]
U.S. rail traffic again shows notable decline
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic showed a significant slide for the second consecutive week, with overall volume down 7.4% from the same week in 2021. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show 498,011 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending April 23, 2022. That includes total carloads, down 4.5%, and 268,976 containers and […]
STB seeks ways to quickly ease railroad service problems
WASHINGTON — There were more questions than answers on Tuesday as federal regulators sought ways to remedy railroad service problems that defy a quick fix because they are rooted in a shortage of train crews. Shippers told the Surface Transportation Board that rail service has deteriorated, with delays mounting as transit times have in some […]
Norfolk Southern move protects South Carolina wetlands
DORCHESTER, S.C. — Norfolk Southern will permanently protect 1,105 acres of coastal wetlands in South Carolina through a conservation easement, the company announced Tuesday. The protected land is home to the Coldwater Branch Stream and Westland Mitigation Bank at Brosnan Forest, the company’s 14,400-acre time and wildlife preserve 35 miles northwest of Charleston at Dorchester. […]
State, federal officials announce agreement for Massachusetts’ East-West Rail project
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — U.S. and Massachusetts officials have reached agreement on a plan to develop the long-discussed East-West Rail project, which will extend existing rail service west from Worcester to Springfield and Pittsfield, Mass. State House News Service reports Gov. Charlie Baker and Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) announced the plan for the state legislature to […]
Class I CEOs to highlight North American Rail Shippers conference
KANSAS CITY — CEOs Keith Creel of Canadian Pacific, Katie Farmer of BNSF, and Jim Foote of CSX are among those scheduled to appear at the annual meeting of the North American Rail Shippers, set for May 9-11 in Kansas City. Others set to take part are Patrick Fuchs; Anthony B. Hatch of ABH Consultiong; […]
Deadline approaches for CPRA photography contest
MADISON, Wis. — Sunday, May 1, is the submission deadline for entries in the Center for Railroad Photography & Art’s 2022 John E. Gruber Creative Photography Awards Program. Up to three images, color or black and white, can be entered with the theme of “Weather Effects.” Prizes include $750 for first place, $500 for second […]
Reading & Northern No. 2102 hauls coal hoppers in test run (updated)
NORTH READING, Pa. — It is appropriate that the Reading & Northern, which calls itself The Road of Anthracite, would road-test its recently rebuilt 4-8-4 by putting it on the head end of a 50-car train of coal hoppers. R&N’s 77-year old former Reading Class T-1 No. 2102 departed the railroad’s North Reading yard at 9:00 a.m. […]
Amtrak restores full Hartford Line service
HARTFORD — As of Monday, April 25, Amtrak has restored Hartford Line service — between New Haven and Hartford, Conn., and Springfield, Mass., to pre-pandemic levels, the company announced Monday. The move means the return of seven trains — two on weekdays, one on Saturdays, and four on Sundays. The partnership between Amtrak, Connecticut’s CTrail […]
CSX repaints C30-7 into L&N scheme for Kentucky Steam
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — CSX Transportation has repainted a General Electric C30-7 locomotive into the “Family Lines” paint scheme of predecessor Louisville & Nashville, completing a cosmetic restoration of the locomotive for the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp., which will display the diesel at its facility in Ravenna, Ky., a former CSX rail yard. “CSX has been […]
How will railroads flourish in a renewable-energy world? — Analysis
Railroads will not replace each coal hopper with a flat car of windmill blades, but America’s commitment to increasing its use of renewable energy is altering the relationship between railroads and energy. Whether through the transportation of raw materials, intermodal, or network capacity, renewables will affect railroads’ business because of how it is interwoven in […]