Canadian government to fund Port of Vancouver improvements

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Canadian government will help fund an engineering study of capacity improvements for a Canadian Pacific rail line in Vancouver as part of a series of projects to improve container traffic in and around the Port of Vancouver. The study will look at improvements on the CP line connecting intermodal and […]

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San Diego-area agency approves $160 billion transportation plan

Passenger train next to ocean

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Association of Governments board of directors has passed a 30-year, $160 billion regional transportation plan, but eliminated a proposed road mileage tax, leaving questions how the agency plans to pay for the program. The Times of San Diego reports key aspects of the plan approved Friday include a direct […]

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Senate committee to look into DC Metrorail wheel defect

WMATA (DC Metro) logo

WASHINGTON — The leadership of the U.S. Senate committee responsible for transit policy has asked the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for detailed information on the wheelset defect that has sidelined the majority of the DC Metrorail car fleet. The Washington Post reports Sens. Sharrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.), the chairman and […]

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News Photos: Train derailed by tornado in Kentucky

Aerial view of train derailed by tornado

EARLINGTON, Ky. — Photos of today’s tornado-caused derailment of a CSX train near Earlington, Ky., show the train caught in widespread devastation resulting from the overnight storm. CSX says 28 cars derailed shortly after midnight today [see “Tornado derails train in Kentucky, Trains News Wire, Dec. 11, 2021]. An initial report said the cars were […]

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Tornado derails train in Kentucky (second update)

Map showing location of Earlington, Ky.

EARLINGTON, Ky. — A CSX train was derailed early Saturday morning by one of a series of tornadoes that struck across a six-state area, with one car reportedly landing on a nearby home. CSX said in response to an inquiry from Trains News Wire that 28 cars, all empty, had derailed shortly after midnight. There […]

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KCS shareholders back merger with Canadian Pacific

Logos for Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern shareholders today overwhelmingly approved the railway’s proposed merger with Canadian Pacific. Some 99.6% of shareholders who voted at a special meeting today approved the $31 billion deal. The transaction is expected to close on Dec. 14. After closing, KCS stockholders will receive $90 in cash and 2.884 CP […]

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Western Maryland Scenic No. 1309 makes successful test run

Steam locomotive at station

CUMBERLAND, Md. — Western Maryland Scenic Railroad made a successful test run on Thursday over the tourist line’s 16-mile route between Cumberland and Frostburg, moving closer to its scheduled debut in Polar Express service. The Cumberland Times-News quotes Western Maryland Scenic general manager Wesley Heinz as saying the 2-6-6-2 “ran trouble free. There will be […]

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UP, BNSF, NS halt vaccine mandates

Union Pacific, BNSF Railway, and Norfolk Southern say they have suspended their COVID-19 vaccination mandate following a Tuesday ruling by a federal judge blocked the Biden Administration’s executive order requiring vaccination for federal contractors. Reuters reports that UP said 74% of its 31,000 employees were fully vaccinated as of Dec. 8, and that was still […]

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NTSB to investigate SEPTA-CSX collision

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority logo

DARBY, Pa. — The National Transportation Safety Board said it will send a team of four investigators to the site of Thursday’s accident between a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trolley and CSX freight train at a diamond in Darby, Pa. Updated information from a SEPTA spokesman, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, reports the trolley’s […]

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