CSX debuts its first hydrogen-fuel cell locomotive (updated)

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – CSX today debuted its first hydrogen fuel-cell locomotive, which was converted from a conventional four-axle unit using a kit supplied by Canadian Pacific Kansas City. The locomotive, GP38H2 No. 2100, was built at CSX’s Huntington Locomotive Shop in West Virginia, which is handling hydrogen fuel cell conversions under a partnership with CPKC. […]

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Carmen’s union announces sick-leave agreement with CPKC

Logo of the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen

WASHINGTON — The Brotherhood of Railway Carmen has reached a sick-leave agreement with Canadian Pacific Kansas City, the union announced today. The union becomes the first with a sick-leave agreement with every Class I railroad. In line with other agreements with Class I railroads, the agreement provides for four days of paid sick leave and […]

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Amtrak, NJ Transit service restored on Northeast Corridor

NEW YORK — Amtrak has restored service between Philadelphia and New York’s Penn Station following the issues that disrupted operations Monday night, the company announced in a service advisory at 7:15 a.m. ET today (Tuesday, April 16). NJ Transit is offering limited service on the Northeast Corridor. Along with what the company is calling “residual […]

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Activist investor’s chief operating officer candidate would strip Norfolk Southern ‘down to the studs’

Crew member walks across front of locomotive as another train passes on adjacent track

Jamie Boychuk, the activist investor candidate aiming to lead operations at Norfolk Southern, says improvements the railroad has made in recent weeks under new Chief Operating Officer John Orr — like increasing train velocity, reducing dwell, and removing 75 locomotives from active service — are low-hanging fruit that will help reduce the operating ratio by […]

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Three injured as CSX trains collide in Folkston, Ga. (updated)

Locomotive and badly damaged railcar

FOLKSTON, Ga. — Three CSX crew members have been taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after an intermodal train struck a standing rock train in Folkston, the railroad said in a statement this afternoon. The collision occurred about 1:24 p.m. Two locomotives, two intermodal cars, and two rock cars derailed as a result, and […]

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UP intermodal train derails in Nebraska

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

CHAPPELL, Neb. — Approximately 30 cars of a Union Pacific intermodal train derailed Sunday in the town of Chappell, leading to the short-term evacuation of a few residents as a precautionary measure and closing U.S. Route 30 for about two hours. KNOP-TV reports the incident was reported about 5:30 p.m., and that an evacuation of […]

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VIA summer travel: more fare flexibility but capacity remains limited

JASPER, Alberta — Anyone planning a trip on VIA Rail Canada’s Canadian, Ocean or other regional trains outside the Quebec City-Windsor, Ontario, corridor should keep departure date and sleeping accommodation options open. That’s because this is the first summer VIA will be utilizing a more sophisticated booking system that now offers wide pricing swings based […]

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BNSF train derails in Oklahoma (updated)

Derailed cars of railroad ties

WYANDOTTE, Okla. — An estimated 20 cars of a BNSF Railway train derailed Saturday (April 13) in Wyandotte, blocking the railroad’s main line on the Cherokee Subdivision, the route between Springfield, Mo., and Tulsa, Okla. KOAM-TV reports the derailment occurred about 7:40 p.m. and blocks Main Street and East 153rd Road in Wyandotte, a community […]

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Parts issues leads to Amtrak Midwest cancellations (second update)

Train with four matching Siemens Venture passenger cars

CHICAGO — Amtrak has cancelled a series of state-supported trains in the Midwest on Friday and today (Saturday, April 13) because of issues involving parts for its Siemens Venture equipment. Responding to an inquiry from Trains News Wire, Amtrak’s Beth Toll wrote in an email, “A supply chain backlog from key vendors has delayed replacement […]

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Scotland’s ‘Harry Potter’ train to restart operations

Steam-powered passenger train in UK on curved trestle

The “Jacobite” or “Harry Potter” steam train, running from Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, will resume operations as of Monday, April 15, operator West Coast Railway announced today. Initially, the train will operate just once a day, instead of the two daily trips planned previously. The train has been subject of a long-running debate […]

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