RICHMOND, Va. — Jennifer Mitchell, who as director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation helped the state reach a landmark deal with CSX Transportation to expand rail passenger service, is stepping down to take a position with the Federal Railroad Administration. The website Virginia Business reports Mitchell will depart on March 18 […]
TAPACHULA, Mexico — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced plans to spend $1.4 billion to rehabilitate about 240 miles of rail lines in Chiapas and Oaxaxa states. The work will be part of the project to develop a rail line across the Tehuantepec Isthmus as an alternative to the Panama Canal. In a Friday […]
ARLINGTON, Va. — The organization representing railroads in bargaining with labor over a new national contract is disputing a request by unions to move the process from mediation to arbitration, saying the two sides have not yet reached an impasse. The statement issued Friday by the railroad group, the National Carrier’s Conference Committee, was responding […]
NEW YORK — East Coast ports are handling a record number of containers due to ongoing supply chain issues in California and the West, but railroads aren’t seeing this equate to more intermodal volume for a number of reasons. First, rail doesn’t have the same international intermodal market share in the East as it does […]
WASHINGTON — The failure of an operator to stop a tie tamping machine — with the operator admitting he was in a panicked state because the machine did not appear to stop when he expected — led to the death of a track worker struck by the tamper, the National Transportation Safety Board determined in […]
BISMARCK, N.D. — The state of North Dakota will not become involved in a claim that the state owns a BNSF rail bridge slated for replacement, leading the preservation group that made the contention to say it is “shocked” by the decision. The Bismarck Tribune reports the Friends of the Rail Bridge group seeks to […]
WASHINGTON — Railroad Workers United, which describes itself as “an inter-union, cross-craft solidarity caucus of railroad workers and their supporters,” has expressed its support for Amtrak’s efforts to launch service on the Gulf Coast — while taking more than a few shots at CSX and other Class I railroads. In a statement filed with the […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Legislation introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives would provide $20 million for capital improvements on the state’s short lines, which face significant costs to upgrade their infrastructure, according to the bill’s sponsor. Rep. Paul Tokelson (R-Hanska, Minn.) says the state’s 821 miles of Class II, III, and private rail lines […]
SAN BRUNO, Calif. — At least 13 people were injured Thursday when a Caltrain commuter train struck a vehicle described as “on-track equipment” and caught fire. Southbound train No. 506 struck the vehicle at about 10:38 a.m. near Scott Street in San Bruno, and caught fire, leading to evacuation of those on board. KGO-TV reports […]
CHICAGO — In a brief ceremony in Chicago, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner has recognized Canadian Pacific for its sixth straight year with the industry-leading A grade on the passenger carrier’s annual Host Railroad Report Card. The report card measures the freight railroads’ performance in keeping Amtrak trains on time. Gardner presented a plaque commemorating the […]
Mirrorless cameras in railfan photography: The mirrorless camera revolution might be the biggest conversation in photography since the introduction of the digital camera more than 45 years ago, but will mirrorless camera technology evolve to become the new norm, or does it simply give photographers more options? Brief history of mirrorless cameras Mirrorless technology was […]
As gas prices continue to increase, some transit agencies are beginning to see an increase in ridership, and others are anticipating an increase in customers. In general, it is too soon for much hard data on ridership, but some figures are available. Tri-Rail, the South Florida commuter rail operation, says single-day ridership surpassed more than […]
