A BNSF manifest freight heads east through Naperville, Ill., on April 20, 2020. BNSF saw first-quarter earnings fall as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. TRAINS: David Lassen OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway’s first-quarter revenue and profits declined as traffic volumes sank due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the railroad’s parent company, Berkshire Hathaway, reported on […]
Sunday rail news: — Union Pacific is furloughing most of the employees at its North Little Rock, Ark., locomotive shop because of the downturn in business triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, and is also furloughing workers at its car shop in De Soto, Mo. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette quotes UP spokeswoman Kristen South as […]
More Friday morning rail news: — Canadian National has filed suit against protesters in British Columbia who blockaded its tracks in February, seeking damages, a permanent injunction against blockades, and an enforcement order by police. The CBC reports that the suit against unnamed individuals who blocked its main line between Smithers and Terrace, B.C., on […]
WASHINGTON — Coronavirus complications and missing interim deadlines still put railroads at risk for missing the year-end deadline for full positive train control implementation in the U.S. In a Government Accountability Office document released this week, the agency reports that railroad officials say they are confident their companies will meet the Dec. 31 deadline, but […]
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Carload and intermodal traffic has bottomed out and has started to rebound amid the COVID-19 pandemic, freight forecasting firm FTR Transportation Intelligence said today. “Weekly volume data from the Association of American Railroads and analyzed by FTR shows that rail volumes, in the intermodal and carload sectors, are likely near the bottom,” […]
A pair of Metrolink trains depart from L.A. Union Station via the five-track station throat to be modernized as the first part of a project to make the station a pass-through, rather than stub-end, facility. TRAINS: David Lassen An LA Metro light rail train passes a waiting Metrolink train at LA Union Station. Right now, […]
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern has idled the hump at Linwood Yard in North Carolina due to the steep traffic downturn related to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Due to unforeseeable business circumstances, including volume declines due to the global pandemic and the abrupt economic downturn, Norfolk Southern is reducing operations at our Linwood Terminal by idling […]
Friday morning coronavirus-related rail news: — NJ Transit employees will have the opportunity to be tested for COVID-19 beginning next week, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has announced. NJ.com reports that unions and a transit advocacy group had asked for testing for front-line transit workers who have the highest risk of exposure to the virus. […]
More Thursday morning rail news: — The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association has announced the 295 recipients of its 2019 “Jake” Safety Awards, which go to railroads which perform better than the Federal Railroad Administration average injury frequency rate for Class II and Class III railroads. Some 278 railroads received the Jake With […]
One end of an ETR500 train set. Bombardier’s expertise will ensure continuous availability of consumable spare parts and repairable components for the ETR500 Frecciarossa fleet. Bombardier BERLIN — Bombardier Transportation and Trenitalia have signed a new contract for integrated logistics services to support the fleet of ETR500 very high-speed trains. The base order is for six […]
Two passengers board a Metra North Central Service train at the Prairie Crossing station in Libertyville, Ill., on April 2. Metra will cut service on the North Central and two other routes as of Monday. TRAINS: David Lassen Still more Thursday morning rail news: — Reflecting the ongoing loss of ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic, […]
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority will end 24-hour subway service — a notion which previously would have been almost unthinkable for New York City’s around-the-clock activity — to meet Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s call to disinfect all equipment daily as part of the fight against the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Cuomo announced during his daily […]
