Bridge collapses beneath Montana Rail Link train

Railroad bridge collapsed into river with railroad cars in water

COLUMBUS, Mont. — A bridge collapsed beneath a Montana Rail Link train Saturday morning, sending cars carrying asphalt and molten sulphur into the Yellowstone River and creating drinking-water issues downstream. The Billings Gazette reports the accident occurred about 6:45 a.m.; the Stillwater County Department of Emergency Services says three cars of hot asphalt and four […]

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NTSB East Palestine hearing focuses on role of car inspection, wayside detectors

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The National Transportation Safety Board put a spotlight on Norfolk Southern’s car inspection practices and railroad industry wayside detector standards during its second day of field hearings on the disastrous Feb. 3 derailment of NS train 32N in this town on the Pennsylvania border. The derailment, which spilled hazardous materials initially […]

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Judge dismisses preservation group’s appeal of permits for new BNSF bridge in Bismarck

BNSF train crossing river bridge in winter

BISMARCK, N.D. — A state judge in North Dakota has dismissed a permit appeal by the preservation group seeking to block demolition of BNSF Railway’s 140-year-old bridge over the Missouri River. The Bismarck Tribune reports that South Central Judicial District Court Judge Jackson Lofgren on Friday dismissed on technical grounds the appeal by the Friends […]

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Sound Transit advances planning for light rail to Everett

Map of planned light rail line between Lynnwood and Everett, Wash.

SEATTLE — Sound Transit has advanced the process of designing a light rail line that would extend to Everett, Wash., with the agency’s board voting Thursday on potential station sites for the 16-mile extension north from the line to Lynnwood, Wash., that is now under construction. The Seattle Times reports plans approved Thursday would not […]

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STB orders BNSF to haul more coal for Powder River Basin company

orange locomotive and train comes around curve in Wyoming

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators today ordered BNSF Railway to haul more coal from Navajo Transitional Energy Co.’s Spring Creek mine in Montana to tidewater in British Columbia. The Surface Transportation Board’s 3-2 decision, which stemmed from a common-carrier complaint and emergency service order request from the coal producer, requires BNSF to transport 4.2 million tons […]

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K-Line O gauge Amtrak F40PH

K-Line O gauge Amtrak F40PH

The K-Line O gauge Amtrak F40PH has launched fans of the National Passenger Rail Corp. into heaven. Not only are there a host of toy-like Amtrak engines and cars available, there has also been a virtual explosion of scale and semi-scale gear in the colors of their favorite federal program. If the E8 is a […]

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South Carolina legislature provides more funding for Saluda Grade trail

Map of former rail route in North and South Carolina.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — South Carolina’s legislature has set aside an additional $10 million for development of the Saluda Grade Rail Trail, the Spartanburg Post and Courier reports. Lawmakers had already earmarked $5 million for the project before Norfolk Southern agreed to sell the dormant 31-mile, two-state rail route, once the steepest main line in the […]

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NTSB East Palestine hearing centers on decision to vent and burn tank cars of vinyl chloride

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — During a rare on-site public hearing on Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board delved into the chain of events that led to the venting and burning of tank cars laden with vinyl chloride following the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train. The big question: Was the venting and […]

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MBTA expands commuter-rail fare discounts during Sumner Tunnel project

MBTA commuter train on bridge

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and its contract operator, Keolis, will expand planned fare reductions on the Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line to help address the upcoming Sumner Tunnel reconstruction project, the MBTA announced on Thursday. From July 1 through Aug. 31, the fare for the entire line will be $2.40, the equivalent of […]

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Canada’s TSB highlights investigation activity in annual report

Transportation Safety Board of Canada logo

GATINEAU, Quebec — A notable increase in completed investigations is highlighted in the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s annual report for fiscal 2022-23, delivered to Parliament this week. Announcement of the annual report comes a day after the TSB released its annual statistics on accidents and other incidents in all modes of transportation [see “Rail […]

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Union for maintenance workers sues Genesee & Wyoming and affiliate

BMWEDlogo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The union representing maintenance-of-way workers is suing Genesee & Wyoming and a subsidiary, saying the companies violated the Railway Labor Act with a hiring freeze and layoffs after workers voted to join the union. The suit by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, or […]

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