Tuesday morning rail news: — Vancouver, British Columbia, transit agency Translink is laying off 1,500 workers, cutting executive pay and reducing services as it attempts to deal with losses of $2.5 million a day because of the coronavirus pandemic. Executives and members of the board of directors will take 10% pay cuts, the Vancouver Sun […]
More Tuesday morning rail news: — The Wilmington, N.C., City Council is scheduled to vote today on a $2.5 million contract for engineering work on a plan to relocate a CSX Transportation rail line out of the city and turn the existing right-of-way into a light rail system, a concept which could cost $1 billion. […]
Monday morning coronavirus-related rail news: — Effective today, Amtrak will require all customer-facing employees wear a facial covering of some kind — a mask if available— and strongly encourages all other employees and passengers to wear coverings. At Friday’s employee town hall, the first hosted by new CEO William Flynn, CEO asked employees to start […]
Dominique Malenfant, Wabtec chief technology officer Wabtec The railroad industry is increasingly touting its sustainability efforts and using its lower carbon footprint as a selling point as more and more shippers look to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. As the 50th anniversary of Earth Day approaches on Wednesday, April 22, three Class I railroads — […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) on Friday for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program. “We’re committed to addressing the unmet transportation needs of rural areas, which face unique challenges in safety, infrastructure condition, and passenger and freight usage,” said […]
EAST DUBUQUE, Iowa — BNSF Railway confirms in a customer advisory that one of its trains derailed on the Aurora Subdivision Monday morning. The advisory says both BNSF main tracks were affected after a derailment at 10:53 am. Central time. The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald newspaper reports that more than five cars derailed and that some landed […]
Sunday morning rail news: — Raymond P. Kenny, 69, NJ Transit’s senior vice president and general manager of rail operations, has died of complications from the COVID-19 virus, NJ Transit announced Saturday. NJ.com reports that Kenny, who came to NJ Transit in January 2019 after 50 years at the Long Island Rail Road, was praised […]
Saturday morning rail news: — New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is seeking another $3.9 billion in federal aid to offset losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The MTA received $4 billion as part of the coronavirus relief act passed in March, but Newsday reports that MTA chairman Patrick Foye says the agency’s original estimates of […]
A Metro-North Waterbury Branch train approaches the station in Bridgeport, Conn., in August 2019. The branch will not be among the Metro-North operations receiving new passenger cars funded by Connecticut. TRAINS: David Lassen More Friday morning rail news: — The planned purchase of new passenger cars for Metro-North commuter rail service in Connecticut will include […]
Still more Friday morning rail news: — Nonprofit organization Operation Gratitude and CSX Transportation are teaming to deliver supplies and gifts of gratitude to frontline medical workers today for a network of 11 hospitals in eastern Pennsylvania. The newly formed Coalition to Support COVID-19 Frontline Responders was formed with Operation Gratitude by companies including CSX, […]
No. 576 is moved from its longtime display location in a Nashville park in January 2019. Fundraising for restoration of the locomotive has passed the $1 million mark. TRAINS: Jim Wrinn Friday morning steam and preservation news: — The fundraising campaign to restore Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis steam locomotive No. 576 has passed the […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City Southern reported higher-first quarter volume, revenue, and profits today but withdrew its outlook for the year in light of ongoing uncertainty related to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. KCS also scaled back this year’s capital spending plans by at least 10% due to anticipated volume declines, which are […]
