OTTAWA, Ontario — The Canadian government will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for domestic rail, air, and marine workers, as well as many passengers, as part of a broad vaccination mandate announced Friday. All federal workers also must be vaccinated. National Public Radio reports that Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in announcing the rule that […]
New Jersey governor seeks Buttigieg’s help in resolving transit funding dispute
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is asking U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to mediate a dispute between his state, New York, and Connecticut over New York’s efforts to seek an additional $637 million in COVID-19 transit relief funding. NJ.com reports that New Jersey and Connecticut agreed to use Federal Transit Administration […]
MTA completes New Haven Line bridge project
MT. VERNON, N.Y. — A three-year project to overhaul and replace four bridges spanning a cut over Metro-North’s New Haven line in downtown Mount Vernon has been concluded. An Aug. 10 ribbon-cutting featuring newly appointed acting Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber and Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi signaled the speedy completion of […]
Coast Starlight to resume full-route operation Aug. 23 (corrected)
OAKLAND, Calif. — Amtrak will resume operation of the Coast Starlight over its full Seattle-Los Angeles route, beginning with departures from both endpoints on Monday, Aug. 23, following completion of bridge work between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, Calif. However, the train’s sleeping-car inventory currently remains limited for more than a month after its […]
Minnesota museum repairing firebox on DM&IR 2-8-0
DULUTH, Minn. — The Lake Superior Railroad Museum is moving ahead with repairs to return Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 2-8-0 No. 332 to service. Repairs are being made to the firebox of the locomotive, where a crack had developed near an old weld. The museum plans to remove this and another existing weld in […]
Norfolk Southern to reopen Pennsylvania intermodal terminal
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern will reopen an intermodal facility in Greencastle, Pa., to increase terminal capacity and address the supply-chain congestion that is leading to container delays across the U.S. rail system, the railroad has announced. The Franklin County Regional Intermodal Facility, about 65 miles southwest of Harrisburg and 11 miles north of Hagerstown, […]
News photo: Erie paint for 75-year-old switcher
GOWANDA, N.Y. — It’s new paint for an old locomotive. New York short line New York & Lake Erie shows off the paint scheme applied to 75-year old Alco S1 no. 308 as part of the unit’s rebuilding and return to service, at Gowanda, N.Y., on Aug. 8, 2021. Built for Erie Railroad in November […]
Shareholder advisory firms recommend KCS investors hold off on CN merger vote (updated)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two influential shareholder advisory firms say that Kansas City Southern shareholders should abstain from voting on the Canadian National merger proposal until federal regulators make a key ruling. Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis, which advise large investment firms regarding proxy votes, have recommended that KCS shareholders abstain until after the […]
Metrolink extends Saturday service to Ventura County
LOS ANGELES — Metrolink will expand its recently introduced Saturday service on its Ventura County line, extending its single round trip to serve the Camarillo, Oxnard, and Ventura-East stations as of this Saturday, Aug. 14. The service was introduced May 29 and only extended as far as Moorpark, while also serving Simi Valley, Chatsworth, Northridge, […]
Tourist railroad cancels 2021 Polar Express trips because of pandemic
ELKINS, W.Va. — With COVID-19 cases increasing, the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad has cancelled its Polar Express holiday trains for the second consecutive years. D&GV president John Smith told the Inter-Mountain newspaper, “The Polar Express is very up close and personal with children and it would be a disaster to try and put 280 […]
KCS says Canadian Pacific’s latest merger offer falls short (second update)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern says Canadian Pacific’s sweetened merger offer is not sweet enough. The KCS board today rejected CP’s increased bid, saying that the $31 billion offer made on Tuesday falls short of the $33.6 billion deal it has to merge with Canadian National. KCS also said that it would reschedule […]
Union Pacific Big Boy differences from the 2019 tour
Union Pacific Big Boy differences from its 2019 tour are subtle, but you can still see them. Here are some of the most visible changes to the engine that you can spot as the engine rolls by or during one of its display stops. Big Boy cylinder head and piston head covers Big Boys had […]