OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s labor minister, Seamus O’Regan, announced today (Thursday, July 18) that he is stepping down from that position and will not seek reelection to parliament. His resignation from the cabinet position is effective Friday, but he will continue to serve as an MP from the St. John’s South-Mount Pearl riding in Newfoundland […]
NORTH CONWAY, N.H. — The Conway Scenic Railroad will celebrate precisely 50 years of operation with a series of trips on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 3-4. It was on Saturday, Aug. 3, 1974 that former Canadian National 0-6-0 No. 7470 made its first official test run between North Conway and Conway, and Sunday, Aug. 4, […]
LOWELL, Ark. — The Quantum premium intermodal service that J.B. Hunt and BNSF Railway launched last year is not growing as quickly as hoped in a slumping freight market, but on-time performance has topped expectations, J.B. Hunt executives said on the company’s earnings call this week. Quantum takes aim at highly service-sensitive freight that has […]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Railroads are moving more traffic than a year ago, but investors aren’t piling into railroad stocks. The stock prices of four of the five Class I railroads trading on the New York Stock Exchange are down this year despite railroads’ volumes being flat, or up slightly, through the first half of 2024 […]
Ethan Brodie and Brodie Photography are organizing a two-day photo charter in November featuring Soo Line No. 1003, the 1913 Alco 2-8-2 operated by the Hartford, Wis.-based Steam Locomotive Heritage Association. One- and two-day tickets will be offered for the event Nov. 2-03, which will feature No. 1003 pulling a freight train including additional cars […]
WASHINGTON — A subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure has scheduled a hearing on rail safety for Tuesday, July 23. The Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials will hold the session, “Examining the State of Rail Safety in the Aftermath of the Derailment in East Palestine, Ohio,” at 2 p.m. ET […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic continues to run ahead of 2023 levels, thanks to intermodal volume, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending July 13, total U.S. volume was 483,806 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 1.3% over the same week in a year ago. That includes […]
PORT CLINTON, Pa. — Reflecting the railroad’s 60% increase in coal business over the last two years, the Reading & Northern Railroad announced it has made changes to its management structure to better deal with that growth. Eric Peters, currently vice president, transportation, will also manage the railroad’s coal fleet. The 2,000 cars, including aluminum […]
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Officials in Johnson County, Iowa, will consider the Pop Up Metro rail transit system for a proposed service between North Liberty and Iowa City, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. A group of elected and other officials will make a trip in August to Rockhill Furnace, Pa., where Pop Up Metro has […]
DEL MAR, Calif. — The organization that oversees the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Monday formalized its opposition to a proposal to build a rail tunnel beneath the fairgrounds, saying the plan could end a proposal to build affordable housing on the property. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports the 22nd District Agricultural Association board voted unanimously […]
Extreme heat is taking its toll on rail transportation along the Northeast Corridor, with transit agencies and Amtrak all feeling the impact and taking operational measures. Here’s a rundown as of this evening (Tuesday, July 16): — NJ Transit says it is experiencing heat-related equipment issues affecting air condition and other electronic components, which could […]
WASHINGTON — Class I railroads say they’re looking forward to explaining their growth strategies to federal regulators during a two-day hearing set for September. Independent rail analyst Anthony B. Hatch says the unprecedented Surface Transportation Board hearing will be political theater that will allow board members to use their bully pulpit. The STB has jurisdiction […]
