SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — D&I Railroad SD40-2 No. 3023, one of five SD40-2s new to the railroad’s roster, leads an eastbound train at Sioux Falls, S.D., on April 13, 2022. Photographer Kevin J. Ryan says it is believed to be the locomotive’s first revenue trip on the railroad. The 138-mile D&I, a wholly owned subsidiary […]
Regulators approve CSX Transportation’s acquisition of Pan Am Railways (updated)
WASHINGTON – Federal regulators on Thursday gave the green light to CSX Transportation’s acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways. The Surface Transportation Board’s unanimous, 75-page decision approving the merger becomes effective on May 14. But CSX said it planned to close on the transaction on June 1. Regulators largely agreed with CSX’s arguments […]
Food and beverage producers forced to curtail production due to delayed rail shipments
WASHINGTON – The trade group representing sugar shippers has told federal regulators that rail service problems have forced some of its members to stop or curtail production of food and beverages. The Sweetener Users Association, which wrote to the Surface Transportation Board on Wednesday, is the latest trade group to complain about poor rail service […]
Shippers complain about Union Pacific’s plans to meter traffic
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific’s request that shippers reduce the number of private freight cars in their pipelines – or face strict quotas starting on Monday – has been met with a mix of understanding and outrage. Some shippers say they understand UP’s need to reduce car inventory to help ease congestion that has slowed […]
Trains Magazine, Kalmbach offices closed Friday
WAUKESHA, Wis. — Trains Magazine, and all other publications and offices of Kalmbach Media, will be closed on Friday, April 15, for Good Friday. Normal office hours will resume on Monday, April 18. Our staff wishes everyone a Happy Easter and thanks you for your continued patronage. […]
Metrolink converts to 100% renewable fuel
LOS ANGELES – Metrolink publicly shared its switch to renewable fuel, on April 13, 2022, making the agency the first in the nation to completely power all its locomotives by the cleaner burning alternative. The agency began using only renewable fuel in February. “It’s a proud achievement to be the first rail agency in the […]
Utah’s FrontRunner to remove Comet cars from service
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Transit Authority’s FrontRunner commuter service will remove its fleet of single-level Comet passenger cars from service April 18. The 25 cars were built for Erie Lackawanna in the early 1970s and used in commuter service in New Jersey by EL and New Jersey Transit. The cars have served UTA […]
Report: Minnesota light rail construction plays minor role in condo cracks
MINNEAPOLIS – Construction can resume on a light rail tunnel in Minneapolis after an engineering analysis determined that construction played only minor role in cracks that developed at a nearby condo building. The Twin Cities Metropolitan Council, which is building the 14.5-mile Southwest Light Rail/Metro Green Line Extension from Minneapolis to Eden Prairie, halted construction […]
April rail traffic declines slightly from year ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic for April remains slightly below 2021 levels in the latest statistics released by the Association of American Railroads. U.S. rail traffic for the week ending April 9, 2022, was 508,343 carloads and intermodal units, down 1% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending […]
Spring blizzard causes ‘Empire Builder’ cancellations
CHICAGO — Due to forecast blizzard conditions in North Dakota and Montana this week, Amtrak has terminated its Empire Builder service between St. Paul and Spokane, Wash. The eastbound Empire Builder from Seattle ran with its full set of equipment on April 11 and 12 from Seattle to Spokane, where it terminated. On the same […]
CDC extends TSA mask mandate for travel by two weeks
WASHINGTON — The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) federal mask mandate for travel on all rail systems, airplanes, in airports, and on buses will be extended through May 3, 15 days after it had been set to expire amid a new coronavirus surge fueled by the BA.2 variant. The two-week extension is from an order by […]
NJ Transit awards contract to restore tunnel on Lackawanna Cutoff
NEWARK, N.J. — The NJ Transit Board of Directors today approved a contract to rehabilitate the Roseville Tunnel on the Lackawanna Cutoff, part of a plan to restore commuter rail service to Andover, N.J. from Port Morris, N.J. The contract with Schiavone Construction Co. LLC of Secaucus, N.J. includes the final design, construction, and commissioning of the […]