Stadtler named as first executive director of Virginia Passenger Rail Authority Donald A. (DJ) Stadtler Jr. has been named as the first executive director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, the agency established by the state legislature in 2020 to promote, sustain, and expand passenger and commuter rail service in the state. Gov. Ralph Northam […]
Railroad: BNSF
Digest: NJ Transit begins testing of first new ALP45 locomotive
NJ Transit ceremony marks start of testing for first new ALP45 NJ Transit marked the beginning of testing for the first of its 25 new Alstom ALP45 dual-power locomotives with a Tuesday ceremony at Newark Penn Station featuring Gov. Phil Murphy, NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett, and other officials. The new locomotives will undergo about […]
Digest: Alabama port agency asks regulators to deny Amtrak bid for Gulf Coast service
Alabama port agency asks STB to deny Amtrak effort to start Gulf Coast service The Alabama State Port Authority has asked the Surface Transportation Board to turn down Amtrak’s request for an order allowing it to start passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., instead requesting the board compel Amtrak to complete the traffic […]
Digest: NTSB releases preliminary report on BNSF fatality in Southern California
NTSB preliminary report outlines circumstances of March 3 fatal BNSF incident The National Transportation Safety Board will examine safety rules related to switching, close clearances in rail yards, and the effects of fatigue and medical issues on crew members as it continues its investigation into a fatal accident involving a BNSF Railway employee in Southern […]
Big Skies & Iron Rails, Winter, Episode 2
Railroad photographer/videographer Tom Danneman resides in Wisconsin, but his heart never wanders from the American West – even during the harshest days of winter. Take a cinematic trek with him, as he immerses us to the clash with the cold, charms of the quiet, and the continuous challenges railroads face under Big Skies & Iron […]
Big Skies & Iron Rails, Winter, Episode 2
Railroad photographer/videographer Tom Danneman resides in Wisconsin, but his heart never wanders from the American West – even during the harshest days of winter. Take a cinematic trek with him, as he immerses us to the clash with the cold, charms of the quiet, and the continuous challenges railroads face under Big Skies & Iron […]
Digest: Judge rules for ‘Cascades’ engineer in suit against Amtrak
Judge grants Cascades train 501 engineer partial summary judgment in suit against Amtrak A judge in Washington state has ruled that Amtrak is strictly liable for the fatal 2017 derailment of an Amtrak Cascades train in DuPont, Wash., meaning a trial later this year over a claim by the train’s engineer will only be to […]
Digest: New MBTA subway cars have derailed six times near site of recent incident
Car weight may be a factor in derailments by new MBTA subway cars The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s new Orange Line subway cars have derailed six times near Wellington Station in Medford, Mass., since the first new cars entered service, and their weight may be a factor. New England Cable News reports five of those […]
BNSF Railway locomotives reviewed
The motive power fleet of BNSF Railway, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020, has come a long way since Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and Burlington Northern merged in 1995. The railroad has transformed its roster from one of the most eclectic in modern times to a more refined fleet of locomotives with a […]
Digest: BNSF train derails in California desert, spilling alcohol
BNSF derailment leads to spill of denatured alcohol Some 25 to 35 cars of a BNSF train derailed Wednesday near the remote San Bernardino County, Calif., community of Ludlow, spilling “several thousand gallons” of denatured alcohol from a leaking tank car, according to a county fire department spokesman. The Victor Valley Daily Press reports the […]
BNSF is bouncing back from harsh winter weather as service, volume recover
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway is recovering quickly after blasts of extreme winter weather raked the system last month. BNSF has turned the corner on restoring fluidity to its network as volume recovers after the weather shocks, John Miller, the railroad’s group vice president of industrial products, told the Pacific Northwest Association of Rail Shippers […]
Digest: Court rules against railroads in fuel-surcharge case
Judge rules against railroads on evidence in fuel-surcharge case A federal judge has denied a request by four Class I railroads to exclude certain evidence from a long-running case over fuel surcharges that involves more than 200 major shippers. The motion by BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific contended that federal law permits limited […]