STB sets scope of environmental review for CP-KCS merger

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will examine the impact of changes in the amount of traffic on rail lines, and at yards and intermodal facilities, as well the impact of capital improvements such as double-tracking and new sidings, as part of Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger. The board […]

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ENSCO offers webinar on plans for Transportation Technology Center

Logos of ENSCO and the Transportation Technology Center

SPRINGFIELD, Va. — ENSCO, the international rail, aerospace, and security firm that will be taking over operation of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Transportation Technology Center, is holding a free public webinar on Wednesday, Feb. 23, to outline the services and capabilities it will offer to railroads, transit agencies, and suppliers at the Pueblo, Colo., facility, […]

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Norfolk Southern promotes bonuses of up to $5,000 for conductor trainees

Man in orange vest climbing onto black locomotive

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern is now offering starting bonuses of up to $5,000 for conductor trainees at what it terms “priority locations,” and $2,500 at other locations. The railroad identified the priority locations as Binghamton and Buffalo, N.Y.; Cincinnati; Louisville, Ky: Manassas and Roanoke, Va.; Harrisburg and Conway, Pa; Birmingham and Sheffield, Ala.; Chattanooga, Tenn; […]

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NJ Transit advancing agency’s largest infrastructure programs

NJ Transit trains meet at Elizabeth, N.J., in August 2019

TRENTON, N.J. — NJ Transit is progressing with some of the largest infrastructure programs in its history, including a series of projects aimed at helping avoid a disruption related to extreme weather on par with the one following 2012’s Superstorm Sandy. The five core projects of NJ Transit’s “Resilience Program” — the Raritan River Bridge […]

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BART again accepting delivery of new railcars

Rapid-transit railcar on truck for delivery

OAKLAND, Calif. — After a pause of more than a year, Bay Area Rapid Transit has resumed accepting delivery of its “Fleet of the Future” railcars, saying the manufacturer has sufficiently resolved reliability issues. BART stopped receiving new railcars on Jan. 8, 2021 [see “Digest: BART, citing reliability issues, says it will stop accepting delivery […]

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Worker killed at NS track project was struck by spike machine

Orange maintenance-of-way machine

WASHINGTON — A contract employee working with a Norfolk Southern track gang was standing between the rails when he was struck and killed by a piece of maintenance-of-way equipment in a December 2021 accident in Pennsylvania, according to a preliminary report released this week by the National Transportation Safety Board. The accident occurred Dec. 8, […]

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BNSF train derails in Minnesota, hits second train

BNSF Railway logo

FRAZEE, Minn. — Clean-up is under way after a BNSF train derailed and hit a second train on an adjacent track Thursday morning near Frazee. BNSF said in a statement the accident occurred about 9 a.m. No injuries were reported. Becker County Sheriff Todd Glander told KVRR-TV that the second train appeared to have been […]

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Carload Considerations: Keep an eye on soybeans

Freight train passing grain elevator

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Dry weather in South America is negatively affecting global soybean supply, driving up prices and putting more pressure on U.S. farmers. This could be an opportunity for soybean-hauling railroads to seem carload gains months from now as farmers plant more soybeans this spring. These circumstances are building on momentum from an already […]

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Bill passed by Washington senate includes high speed rail funding

Map of proposed high speed rail route in Pacific Northwest

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington state Senate has passed a proposal that would provide $150 million in funding for the creation of a high speed rail line connecting Vancouver, British, Columbia, to Portland, Ore. KING-TV reports the funding is part of a $16 billion transportation bill, Senate Bill 5974. That legislation passed by a 29-20 vote […]

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