WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to continue its antitrust lawsuit against Norfolk Southern. CSX sued Norfolk Southern in October 2018, claiming its competitor conspired with Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Co. to set an excessive “switch rate” on dock access to the Port of Virginia. CSX said the […]
NEW YORK — Wall Street analysts are approaching 2025 with questions for railroad executives about pricing, inflation, wages, the operating ratio, and, to a lesser extent, geopolitics. Officers of Class I railroads fielded questions with these themes during the recent third-quarter earnings calls, likely their last official remarks to analysts this year. In 2024, railroads […]
ATLANTA — The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit System has awarded Stadler Rail a $500 million contract to replace its current signal system with a communications-based train control system. MARTA’s board voted Thursday (Dec. 5) to award the contract to Stadler, which is also building new railcars for the transit agency under a $646 million contract […]
MILLBRAE, Calif. — Commuter rail operator Caltrain will relocate its headquarters to Millbrae, near a station served by both Caltrain and Bay Area Rapid Transit, the agency announced Thursday, Dec. 5. Caltrain currently shares headquarters space in San Carlos, Calif., with SamTrans, the San Mateo County Transit District, which announced in March that it would […]
TORONTO — Phil Verster, CEO of Ontario provincial transportation agency Metrolinx since 2017, has resigned, the provincial government announced this week. The CBC reports that a memo to employees said Verster is departing for a rail industry job outside of Canada. He will depart as soon as Dec. 16. Michael Lindsay, currently head of Infrastructure […]
ATLANTA — The Broe Group, the parent of short line holding company OmniTRAX, has acquired a former Kellogg’s plant in Atlanta and plans to redevelop the 14-acre property that’s served by the Fulton County Railway. “This build-to-suit project bundles proximity, power, and population centers,” Broe Real Estate Group Senior Vice President Kevin Caille said in […]
ERWIN, Tenn. — CSX Transportation is being ordered to stop using river rock as fill material in the rebuild of its former Clinchfield Railroad line through the Nolichucky River gorge. WJHL-TV reports the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued the notice to the railroad following an investigation that determined CSX was using cobble bars […]
PHILADELPHIA — Scott Sauer has been named interim general manager of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and assumed those duties this week, the agency has announced. Sauer joined SEPTA in 1990 as a train operator, following in the footsteps of his late father, Robert, who worked for SEPTA and the predecessor Philadelphia Transportation Co. for […]
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, caretakers for Portland-owned steam locomotives Southern Pacific No. 4449 and Spokane, Portland & Seattle No. 700, will purchase Portland-area short line Oregon Pacific Railroad, the foundation has announced. Foundation President Rick Franklin said in a press release that the acquisition “honors Dick Samuels’ remarkable legacy while securing […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canadian Pacific Kansas City has ordered an additional 98 fuel cell engines for its hydrogen locomotive program, supplier Ballard Power Systems announced today (Dec. 5). The 98 engines each are capable of generating approximately 200 kilowatts, giving the total order about 20 megawatts of power. Ballard has previously supplied approximately 10 […]
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch has recused himself from the pending case involving the Uinta Basin Railway, which is set to be argued before the court next week. NBC News reports that lawyers involved in the case were informed of the move in a letter sent on Wednesday, Dec. 4. The letter from […]
WASHINGTON — The Thanksgiving holiday once again made for a big change in U.S. weekly rail traffic statistics. This time, that change was negative. U.S. rail traffic was down 13.8% from the same week in 2023, a week after it showed a whopping 25.6% gain [see “Weekly U.S. rail traffic shows major bump,” Trains News […]
