MOBILE, Ala. — Amtrak appears to be on the verge of an agreement with the City of Mobile that finally will allow Gulf Coast passenger service to move forward. WALA-TV reports that a spokeswoman for Mayor Sandy Stimpson said the city and Amtrak had finalized language for a funding agreement for Mobile-New Orleans service and […]
Section: News & Reviews
CN reopens main lines to key British Columbia ports while monitoring Alberta wildfires (updated)
MONTREAL — Canadian National was able to reopen its main line through Jasper, Alberta, this afternoon while keeping a close eye on a pair of wildfires that have been threatening the resort town. “CN resumed rail operations at approximately 12 Noon MST on Wednesday, July 24, through Jasper. In collaboration with the Unified Incident Command […]
Wabtec earnings surge on higher freight and transit revenue
PITTSBURGH — Wabtec sales and profits increased in the second quarter thanks to growth in its freight and transit divisions, the company announced today. Wabtec also disclosed that it has received a $600 million, multiyear order for Tier 4 locomotives from a North American railroad. It did not name the railroad, and no Class I […]
NJ Transit seeks Presidential Emergency Board in labor dispute with engineers
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit has asked President Joe Biden to form a Presidential Emergency Board to address a potential strike or lockout involving members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, NJ.com reports, delaying any potential job action. A union official and NJ Transit spokesman both confirmed the request to NJ Advance Media. […]
DART restores light rail service in central Dallas (updated)
DALLAS — Dallas Area Rapid Transit restored light rail service in Dallas’ central business district at midday today (July 24), beating an estimate calling for service to resume this evening. DART resumed rail service at 1 p.m., continuing the shuttle bus service that had been in place to serve six stations until 2 p.m. while […]
Railroads are hiring in MOW, mechanical, but headcount is down from 2019: Analysis
Second of two parts. Part one is available here. CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. railroads are hiring to meet future freight demand after years of furloughs and cutbacks that only worsened during the pandemic. At the same time, railroads have grappled with steep declines in coal and macroeconomic conditions. Now railroads appear to be rebalancing headcount […]
House rail safety hearing highlights new legislation
WASHINGTON — Legislators used a House subcommittee hearing on railroad safety today (Tuesday, July 23) to highlight a new rail safety bill, while committee members and witnesses including regulators, union representatives, and the House member representing East Palestine questioned the rail industry’s own safety efforts. The revised bill, the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act (H.R. 8996), […]
Threat of Canadian rail strike hurts Canadian National’s quarterly earnings
MONTREAL — Canadian National today (Tuesday, July 23) lowered its financial outlook for the year as volume growth slowed during the second quarter, due to slumping lumber traffic and the impact of shippers diverting international intermodal containers to U.S. ports in anticipation of a potential rail strike in Canada. CN’s second-quarter operating income declined 3%, […]
CSX unveils heritage locomotive celebrating Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad
CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs today unveiled the railroad’s 17th heritage locomotive, which pays homage to the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad. “Another great job by our ONE CSX team in Waycross, Georgia. Founded in 1877, C&EI Railroad connected Chicago with southern Illinois, St. Louis, and Evansville, IN. In the 1960’s C&EI was purchased by both […]
Wildfire shuts down CN main line through Jasper, Alberta (updated)
MONTREAL – The busiest section of the Canadian National main line is shut down today due to a fast-moving wildfire in Jasper, Alberta. Officials ordered an evacuation of Jasper as well as visitors to Jasper National Park overnight as the fire spread and left only a westbound escape route out of town, according to Canada’s […]
MxV Rail first responder training center expands to include scenarios involving alternative fuels and electric vehicles
PUEBLO, Colo. — MxV Rail’s Security and Emergency Response Training Center is expanding to include first responder training for incidents involving alternative fuels and electric vehicles. SERTC will begin offering the new training in November thanks to funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, MxV Rail announced on Monday. SERTC recently broke ground on a […]
Dallas light rail repairs to take until at least Wednesday evening
DALLAS — Repairs to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail system in downtown Dallas will continue until at least the evening of Wednesday, July 24, following a Sunday morning accident, the transit agency said Monday. The light rail system lost power the central business district after a Dallas Fire Rescue truck skidded off an […]