Canadian Pacific has repainted one of its locomotives to recognize container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, the key customer in the railroad’s container service from Port Saint John, New Brunswick, that began earlier this year. The orange ES44AC, No. 8781, was photographed Thursday at CP’s Bensenville Yard in Franklin Park, Ill. – Bruce Leighty […]
Testing plan submitted for sidelined Metrorail cars
WASHINGTON — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has submitted a testing plan for returning its 7000-series Metrorail cars to operation to address its current equipment shortage. The Washington Post reports the plan submitted to the independent Washington Metrorail Safety Commission would call for checking the cars every eight days for a wheel defect that […]
NJ Transit to add 36 trains to weekly schedule
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit will add 36 trains to its weekly commuter rail schedule as of Sunday, Nov. 14, with the 22 weekday trains and 14 on weekends coming as part of the agency’s regular fall service adjustments. “As rail ridership grows and commuting patterns continue to evolve, NJ Transit is committed to delivering […]
Former LIRR foreman receives five months in prison for overtime fraud
NEW YORK — A former Long Island Railroad foreman was sentenced to five months in prison on Thursday for his role in a massive overtime fraud case involving Metropolitan Transportation Authority employees. The New York Daily News reports John Nugent, 51, pleaded guilty for his part in a case in which he claimed to work […]
Analysis: Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger has all the right stuff
The proposed merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern – the first combination of Class I systems in two decades, and likely the last – should win favor in Washington. After all, their comprehensive merger application checks all of the Surface Transportation Board’s boxes. More rail competition? Canadian Pacific Kansas City has that in […]
CSX, NS say Gulf Coast passenger service would ‘devastate’ freight operations (updated)
WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern say addition of Amtrak trains along the Gulf Coast would cause a “systematic failure” in their ability to provide freight service, based on traffic modeling, and would “devastate first-mile last-mile service to freight customers in the region,” according to a filing with the Surface Transportation Board. But while […]
CN to purchase Wabtec battery-electric locomotive
MONTREAL — Canadian National will be the first North American buyer of Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive, for its Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad. The railroad calls the locomotive’s technology key to transitioning to a lower-carbon future, and says Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection is providing financial support under the Marine and Rail Freight Movers Grant […]
Amtrak service to Canadian cities remains on hold
WASHINGTON, D.C. — While Greyhound announced last week that it will resume cross-border intercity bus service between U.S. and Canadian destinations Nov. 8, no firm date has been finalized for restoring Amtrak trains serving Vancouver, B.C., Toronto, and Montreal. U.S. citizens have been able to visit Canada since Aug. 9, but Canadians won’t be able […]
CP, KCS schedule stockholder meetings to vote on merger
Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern have scheduled special stockholder meetings for votes on their proposed merger. Both meetings will be conducted online. CP will go first, on Dec. 8 at 11 a.m. EST, for shareholders to vote on the issuance of CP common shares for KCS stockholders. All shareholders of CP common stock as […]
Intermodal issues continue for railroads in October
WASHINGTON — Intermodal issues continued to weigh on U.S. rail volume in October, as a 7.9% drop in intermodal traffic led to an overall decline of 2.8%, according to the latest figures from the Association of American Railroads. The overall drop came despite a 3.8% increase in carload volume. “For railroads, the supply chain challenges […]
Preservation group acquires, will restore Lehigh & New England locomotive
The last surviving, intact diesel from the Lehigh & New England Railroad has been acquired by the non-profit Railroad & Industrial Preservation Society Inc., and will be restored to operating condition. L&NE No. 611, an S2 built by Alco in 1948, helped make the Lehigh & New England one of the nation’s first fully dieselized […]
CN, Progress Rail to work together on renewable fuels testing
MONTREAL — Canadian National and Progress Rail are joining with a renewable fuels company to test biodiesel and renewable diesel fuels in locomotives. The companies have announced they will work with Renewable Energy Group to better understand the long-term impacts of renewable fuels on locomotives, especially in cold weather, and determine any modifications necessary to […]