OTTAWA, Ontario — VIA Rail Canada has provided the first detailed look at its new equipment for corridor service, unveiling the first full trainset at the Ottawa station. A total of 32 Siemens-built trainsets will serve the Quebec City-Windsor, Ont., corridor. Testing of the first trainset will begin this month, with the first of the […]
BERKELEY, Calif. — A new study says railroads could save $94 billion over 20 years by reducing air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions — and help avoid health impacts including an estimated 1,000 premature deaths each year — by retrofitting diesel-electric locomotives with battery power. The study from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley […]
REGINA, Saskatchewan — A long-running battle between Canadian Pacific and the province of Saskatchewan is leading to an effort to amend the provincial constitution to remove a disputed tax loophole for the railroad. The Canadian Press reports CP is suing the province for $341 million in taxes it has paid, arguing it is exempt from […]
LANCASHIRE, England — Wildlife bridges are sometimes built over major highways at select locations in North America, trying avoid collisions between vehicles and animals that are often fatal to the wildlife and sometimes to drivers, as well. In Canada’s Banff National Park, such bridges have seen significant use by bears, moose, and elk. In England, […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — The Canadian government has extended deadlines for grade crossing improvements, while removing the lowest-risk crossings from the improvement requirements. Following up on a proposal made earlier this year [see “Digest: Canadian government proposes delay …,” Trains News Wire, June 21, 2021]. Transport Canada will provide a one-year extension beyond the original deadline […]
WASHINGTON – Federal regulators have adopted a final rule that will streamline the process railroads follow when applying for emergency temporary trackage rights. The new Surface Transportation Board rule, adopted in a decision today, eliminates a required 30-day notice period. Instead, the trackage-rights exemption would become effective within five days. The rule will make it easier […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canadian National has shut down service on its route to Vancouver as additional rain, flooding, and landslides continue to plague a hard-hit area in British Columbia’s interior. The CBC reports CN moved seven trains over the weekend before it elected to “proactively close its network” as rain was causing increased debris, […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern has launched a challenge grant to boost fundraising for its KCS Holiday Express program. “On this Giving Tuesday, I am proud to announce that KCS will donate $2 for every $1 raised by the Holiday Express project, up to an additional $100,000, between November 30 and December 10, […]
NEW YORK – Canadian Pacific’s first hydrogen fuel cell locomotive, a converted SD40-2F dubbed H2 0EL for “hydrogen zero-emissions locomotive,” will roll under its own power by the end of the year and then enter test service next year, CEO Keith Creel says. CP’s homebuilt locomotive test bed, along with its headquarters solar array and other […]
WASHINGTON — Score one small win for Amtrak in its ongoing effort to launch service along the Gulf Coast. The Surface Transportation Board on Monday issued a decision honoring Amtrak’s request for an order allowing it access to CSX Transportation’s Choctaw Yard in Mobile, Ala., to conduct a survey to determine a possible site for […]
CHICAGO — Union Pacific is donating the original artwork it commissioned for the grand opening of the Pullman National Monument to the National Park Service for permanent display. The poster, created by Chicago artist Joe Nelson, is in the style of UP national park travel posters of the 1900s and honors the resilience and strength […]
WASHINGTON — A global infrastructure fund based in Australia will acquire RailUSA, the holding company that operates the 430-mile Florida Gulf & Atlantic and the 228-mile Grenada Railroad in Mississippi. Macquarie Infrastructure Partners reached a purchase agreement with RailUSA on Nov. 23, according to a regulatory filing with the Surface Transportation Board last week. The […]
