The Surface Transportation Board took 33 pages to explain why it rejected Canadian National’s request to put Kansas City Southern into a voting trust while their proposed merger would be placed under the regulatory microscope. Buried on Page 31 of the board’s decision is a 105-word passage that – aside from a potential Canadian Pacific-KCS […]
Kansas City Southern to adjourn planned meeting on CN offer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern says it will adjourn its scheduled stockholders meeting, which had been set for Friday to consider Canadian National’s merger agreement, as a result of Tuesday’s Surface Transportation Board decision to deny a voting trust while the CN-KCS plan was undergoing regulatory scrutiny. That meeting is set for 9 […]
Preview: Pullman National Monument Visitor Center opens
CHICAGO — Mirroring a song from the hit musical “Hamilton,” the formal opening of the Pullman National Monument Visitors Center on Chicago’s South Side will give participants a sense of “the room where it happened.” The “room,” in this case, is the long-shuttered Clock Tower Administration Building and grounds that were the birthplace of assembly-line […]
Sound Transit introduces new names, color coding for rail lines
SEATTLE — Sound Transit is renaming and color-coding its rail transit network, reflecting the continued growth of a system that will eventually grow to include five light-rail routes and two commuter-rail lines, as well as three bus rapid transit lines. On its website, the agency says the change reflects research showing letters and numbers are […]
Ultra Wideband train control system receives key safety certification
NEW YORK — An Ultra Wideband train control system being used in a pilot program on a New York subway line has received a milestone form of safety certification. Piper Networks’ Ultra Wideband system has received Safety Integrity Level 4 certification for the European Committee for Electronical Standardization, or CENELEC. The certification from independent assessor […]
Major CN investor calls for ouster of CEO and chairman after KCS decision (updated)
MONTREAL – Canadian National’s second-largest investor today urged the railway to drop its bid for Kansas City Southern and called for the resignation of board Chairman Robert Pace and CEO JJ Ruest. TCI Fund Management recommends that Jim Vena – a former CN chief operating officer who most recently headed operations at Union Pacific – be […]
Federal regulators reject CN plan to put KCS in voting trust (third update)
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators Tuesday rejected Canadian National’s request to put Kansas City Southern into a voting trust, dealing a serious blow to the first merger between Class I railroads in two decades. The Surface Transportation Board’s decision that placing KCS into a voting trust was not in the public interest may prompt the railroads […]
News photo: VIA Renaissance cars return
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada further increased service in its Windsor, Ont.-Quebec City corridor as of Monday, Aug. 30, bringing corridor service close to 100% of pre-pandemic levels. The schedule restorations mean VIA’s British-built Renaissance trainsets are back in operation in Ottawa-Quebec City service for the first time in a year and half, as seen […]
Amtrak to continue New Orleans cancellations through at least Sept. 3
NEW ORLEANS — With track damage still being assessed and electric power to activate highway grade crossings out over much of the region, Amtrak has cancelled the City of New Orleans to Chicago and Crescent to New York scheduled to arrive or depart New Orleans through at least Friday, Sept. 3. Those trains will continue […]
Charlotte opens extended streetcar Gold Line
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The second phase of Charlotte’s CityLYNX Gold Line streetcar has begun operation, adding 11 stations and expanding the line from 1.5 miles to 4 miles. The expanded route began operation Monday. It connects Johnson C. Smith University, on the city’s west side to Elizabeth, on the east side. Eventual plans call for […]
Government report questions Army’s preparedness for rail moves in major mobilization
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army needs to act to ensure it is able to move equipment by rail in case of a large-scale mobilization, the Government Accountability Office says in a report issued earlier this month, and also needs to address widespread track issues with Army-controlled rail lines. A summary of the report is here, […]
Fire destroys former Rio Grande Burnham Shops building
DENVER — A fire Monday has gutted the former Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Burnham Shops coach building. The Denver Fire Department reports it responded “an abandoned warehouse fire” early Monday. The building was fully involved by the time firefighters arrived. No injuries were reported and the cause is under investigation. The building had […]