KARRATHA, Western Australia — Rio Tinto has fully reopened its mining railroad in Western Australia’s Pilbara region after the collision last week involving two autonomous trains, with the Australian Financial Review reporting the mining company has suspended a procedure known as “on-site override” while investigation into the incident continues. One line of the two-track main […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Viewliner diner serving ‘flexible’ meals to be added to Crescent June 1: Analysis
WASHINGTON — Beginning June 1, Amtrak plans to restore a dining car to the New York-New Orleans Crescent. However, initially only sleeping car passengers will be allowed to use it, and the food served will continue to be reheated “flexible” meals. As reported in the Rail Passengers Association’s weekly Hotline email, Amtrak senior leadership confirmed […]
VIA to retire Renaissance equipment from corridor operations
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada will retire its British-built Renaissance equipment from Quebec City-Windsor, Ontario, corridor service on Sunday, May 26, the passenger operator has confirmed. The last train to use the Renaissance cars will be Ottawa-bound train No. 37, departing Quebec City at 12:32 p.m. When the train arrives in Montreal at 3:54 p.m., […]
Metra launches rider survey to aid in long-term planning
CHICAGO — Metra has launched a rider survey to help shape its future scheduling and infrastructure plans to meet its goal of becoming a “regional rail” operation — one providing more service at all times rather than focusing on weekday commuter-rush trains. The commuter operator has already taken some steps to increase off-peak service, such […]
Amtrak, CN reach agreement on track work for Adirondack route in Canada
ALBANY, N.Y. — Amtrak and Canadian National Railway have reached agreement on track maintenance in Canada to avoid a repeat of the issues that sidelined Adirondack service last summer, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) announced today (Friday, May 17). Trackwork on the CN portion of the Adirondack route in Canada will be performed during the […]
Durango & Silverton two-day steam photo charter with ‘Trains’ Magazine set for October
DURANGO, Colo. — Join the editors of Trains Magazine this year aboard a private steam-powered two-day charter Oct. 18 and 19, on Colorado’s Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The train will operate from Silverton to Durango the first day, with multiple photo stops en route. The train will overnight in Silverton, then return to […]
TSB report details runaway-car incident in CP Toronto Yard
RICHMOND HILL, Ontario — A Canadian Pacific crew applied an insufficient amount of force during a hand-brake test, and therefore did not set enough hand brakes to prevent a runaway-car incident at CP’s Toronto Yard, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada determined in its investigation into a March 13, 2022, incident. The board released its […]
‘Trails and Rails’ programs on Amtrak trains return for 2024
WASHINGTON — National Park Service volunteers from national or historic parks and monuments along Amtrak routes are again be hosting informative programs aboard trains this summer and fall under the “Trails and Rails” program. The table below shows the segments and days of the week where personnel discuss the historical significance of the route’s points […]
NTSB releases preliminary report on April BNSF derailment that closed I-40
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on the April 26 derailment of a BNSF Railway train near the Arizona-New Mexico state line — an incident that led to a breach of tank cars carrying propane and fire that closed Interstate 40. No one was injured in the incident. Interstate […]
Communication error led to Union Pacific yard fatality, NTSB determines
WASHINGTON — A communication breakdown over granting permission for a train movement into the yard, as well as regarding placement of a portable derail device, was the probable cause of the August 2022 fatality of a Union Pacific conductor at a yard in El Paso, Texas, the National Transportation Safety Board determined in its final […]
CPKC says Canadian rail strike or lockout is unlikely to occur before July (updated)
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City says it’s unlikely that its engineers, conductors, and rail traffic controllers in Canada can strike or be locked out within the next 60 days. CPKC and Canadian National are conducting separate negotiations with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, whose members authorized a strike that could have begun on […]
MBTA continues progress in eliminating slow orders
BOSTON — Recent work on the Red Line eliminated another 13 speed restrictions, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says, as work continues on its year-long effort to address the backlog of slow orders on its rapid-transit network. The work saw the rail line shut down between the Park Street and JFK/UMass stations between May 2-10, […]