Creation of agency to pursue Reading-Philadelphia passenger service is approved

Portion of map showing existing and proposed rail routes in the Northeast

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 […]

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High speed rail to provide $423 million for LA Union Station project

Illustration showing planned changes at Los Angeles Union Station

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 […]

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U.S. rail traffic again shows notable decline

Table showing weekly carload rail traffic statistics by commodity type, plus overall intermodal traffic

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 […]

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STB seeks ways to quickly ease railroad service problems

Train with blue and yellow locomotives rounds curve

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 […]

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Norfolk Southern move protects South Carolina wetlands

Aerial view of land covered with trees

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. […]

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Deadline approaches for CPRA photography contest

Logo of Center for Railroad Photography and Art

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 […]

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Amtrak restores full Hartford Line service

Cab car leads short passenger train past station

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 […]

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CSX repaints C30-7 into L&N scheme for Kentucky Steam

Gray locomotive with red and yellow stripes

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 […]

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How will railroads flourish in a renewable-energy world? — Analysis

Freight cars with wind-turbine blades

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 […]

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