UP’s local arrives at the old M&StL depot in New Prague on Sept. 4, 2012. Steve Glischinski NEW PRAGUE, Minn. – Employees at Miller Milling in New Prague got coal in their Christmas stocking this month when the company announced it was shutting down its mill in New Prague served by Union Pacific. The flour […]
Trains editors talk about the rail news that is fit to speak for the week of Dec. 13, 2019. In this episode, Jim and Steve talk about BNSF “snow coaches”, a Wabtec battery locomotive, weekly carload traffic, and more! Only from Trains! […]
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — MARC commuter train service continues without change into West Virginia, even though a deadline for West Virginia to fund the service has passed, with a local legislator saying negotiations are continuing. MARC’s Brunswick line from Washington, D.C., serves two West Virginia communities — Duffields and Martinsburg — even though West Virginia has never […]
A Newark-bound NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line train arrives at Newark Penn Station in June 2019 with ALP45-DP No. 4519 at the point. NJ Transit has approved a bond issue to pay for 17 more of the locomotives as well as 600 buses. Ralph Spielman NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit’s board has approved a bond […]
A Coaster commuter train climbs Miramar Hill near San Diego in January 2016. Coaster and Amtrak service to San Diego will be disrupted this week by work to address bluff erosion in Del Mar, Calif. TRAINS: David Lassen DEL MAR, Calif. — Work to stabilize eroding coastal bluffs in Del Mar will disrupt Amtrak Surfliner […]
GLEN BURNIE, Md. — A $4.7 million renovation of the Amtrak and MARC commuter rail station at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is now complete. The 14-month project began in August 2018, and provides expanded seating, with charging stations for phones and other personal electronics, new ticketing facilities, improved restrooms, and refreshment and snack options. […]
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Dec. 7, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 517,130 carloads and intermodal units, down 9.4% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending Dec. 7 were […]
Tank car design changes Illustration: Rick Johnson WASHINGTON — A third of U.S. tank cars met upgraded flammable liquids safety requirements in 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The more than 34% of Class 3 flammable liquid tank cars at DOT-117 and DOT-117R standards were up from 20% in 2018, according to a […]
REGINA, Saskatchewan — Canadian Pacific workers are cleaning up after a train hauling crude oil derailed and caught fire on Monday. In a Tuesday statement, a railroad representative confirmed that 34 cars of a train derailed early on Jan. 9. Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigators are expected to look into to the incident, according […]
WASHINGTON – The final version of a defense funding bill in Congress would ban federal funding for transit equipment from Chinese companies — but would also delay that ban for two years in most cases. Roll Call reports that the conference version of the National Defense Authorization Act would prohibit the use of federal dollars […]
Don Orseno receives a gift marking his retirement as Metra CEO during a Chicago Rail Superintendents Association event in November 2017. Behind him is current Metra CEO James Derwinski. Orseno was named to Metra’s board of directors on Wednesday. TRAINS: David Lassen This Metra locomotive was repainted in Rock Island colors and named for Don […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern says it will require tank cars moving on its Mexican subsidiary to meet safety standards of the U.S. Department of Transportation and Transport Canada. Specifically targeted are Kansas City Southern de Mexico moves of high hazard flammable materials and substances that are toxic when inhaled, KCS officials say. […]
