CN joins UP and Ferromex for new cross-border intermodal service

MONTREAL — Canadian National, Union Pacific, and Ferromex will launch new intermodal service next month linking Canada and Detroit with Mexico, the railroads announced today (Monday, April 24). The Falcon Premium service will connect a dozen CN terminals with the Ferromex terminals in Monterrey and Silao via the Eagle Pass, Texas, gateway. CN and UP […]

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High iron baseball — exploring independent leagues

Trains are just as American as baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie. What’s even better is combining these. Imagine sitting back in the stands, munching a hot dog, watching a ballgame, and a train rumbles past outside the right-field fence. Could summertime be any better? This is high iron baseball — exploring independent leagues More […]

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High iron baseball — AAA minor league stadiums

We continue our look at the best ballparks to catch a game and a train with a few stops on the AAA minor league circuit. High iron baseball — AAA minor league stadiums More than half of the nation’s 240 professional baseball stadiums have a railroad connection — built next to a railroad, located on […]

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CSX CEO: Spotlight on rail safety will improve the industry

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation CEO Joe Hinrichs says the nationwide focus on railroad safety ultimately will improve the industry. “We are confident that the industry will emerge from this period stronger, more aligned, and better at sharing safety best practices,” Hinrichs said CSX’s earnings call on Thursday. “Statistics are clear that when measured by […]

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Travel: A visit to the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum

Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum WELCOME to the first of my monthly travel investigations, where I’ll explore a great railroad journey, a special destination, or a historic experience. I plan to visit some of the most interesting railroads operating today, while also leading Trains readers down less-traveled paths to seek out the hidden gems of railroading. […]

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CSX earnings improve as service improvements boost merchandise traffic

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Record on-time performance for carload shipments helped CSX Transportation gain merchandise traffic that contributed to higher first quarter revenue and profits. “With sufficient resources in place, we are able to use the benefits of our scheduled railroading model to deliver improvements in our customer service performance that are driving real, tangible financial […]

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Derailments down on Union Pacific despite use of longer trains

OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific’s reportable train derailment rate improved 10% during the first quarter, executives said today while defending the safety record of long trains. “We continue to make great strides on safety,” Eric Gehringer, executive vice president of operations, told investors and analysts on the railroad’s earnings call on Thursday. UP’s goal remains […]

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Railroads that live ‘forever’ … on paper

Like trilobites and brachiopods, the paper carcasses of 19th-century railroads seem forever locked away in the sediments of corporate archives and government files. They fill the pages of old Official Guides and Poor’s Manual of the Railroads by the hundreds. Nearly all of them are dormant — but some are not.   Consider the case […]

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