California governor seeks additional $11 billion for transportation projects California Gov. Gavin Newsom, aided by the presence of a projected budget surplus of more than $75 billion, is proposing to add $11 billion for transportation to the state budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year. The additional funds — which would bring the total transportation budget […]
Section: News & Reviews
Digest: Sound Transit places first of new light rail trainsets in service
Sound Transit places first of new Siemens LRVs in service Sound Transit has placed the first of its new Siemens light rail vehicles in service, part of an order that will more than triple the agency’s fleet. A total of 152 vehicles, from two orders totaling will be delivered from Siemens’ plant in Sacramento through […]
UP train derails, catches fire in Sibley, Iowa (2nd update)
SIBLEY, Iowa — For the second time in about 24 hours, a Union Pacific train derailment in the Midwest has created a hazmat situation. This time, the derailment has triggered a fire that is leading to an evacuation of part of Sibley, a town of about 2,800 just south of the Iowa-Minnesota border and about […]
Tank cars leaking acid at site of UP derailment in Minnesota
ALBERT LEA, Minn. — Some 28 cars of Union Pacific train MITDM derailed in Albert Lea at approximately 1:45 p.m. today. The southbound train was en route from Itasca Yard in Superior, Wis., to Des Moines, Iowa. The derailment occurred along Goose Lake in Albert Lea, just north of the small UP yard in town, with […]
Digest: House transportation committee asks for investigation of PSR
House committee asks General Accountability Office to investigate Precision Scheduled Railroading The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has asked the head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office to investigate the impact of Precision Scheduled Railroading on shippers, Amtrak and commuter railroads, employees and others. In a letter earlier this week from committee chairman Peter […]
Department of Justice sees potential competitive risk in CN-KCS deal
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department is opposed to allowing Canadian National to place Kansas City Southern in a voting trust as part of the process for the proposed merger of the two railroads, saying the deal “raises sufficient competition concerns on first blush” to prohibit the procedure. Canadian Pacific, which has had its earlier […]
Product Review: ScaleTrains.com N scale standard turbine locomotive
Fire up the turbine, it’s time to melt some bridges on your N scale layout with ScaleTrains.com’s Rivet Counter line Union Pacific (UP) Standard Gas Turbine locomotive. These models come with an optional ESU LokSound 5 mini Digital Command Control (DCC) dual-mode sound decoder. Prototype history You can’t really melt any bridges with this model, […]
Walthers Adult Individual Contestant Matthew Mendolia Makes the Most of his Space
WAUKESHA, Wis. — There are only a few weeks left to submit a layout for judging in the Walthers National Model Railroad Build-off, and with the May 31 deadline looming closer every day, modelers nationwide are sure to be scrambling to add their finishing touches. Yet from the cramped confines of his dorm room, Eastern […]
Analysis: Amtrak’s ‘ConnectUS’ map fails to prioritize low-hanging fruit of additional service
ST. PAUL, Minn.— If there is any “no brainer” on Amtrak’s recently unveiled “Connects US” map of potential routes, it is adding an extra train to the Chicago-Twin Cities portion of the Empire Builder’s route. Amtrak has plenty of built-in corridors like this one, routes between major population centers it already serves that could […]
Analysis: Union Pacific pivots into growth mode
Union Pacific, which has long put profitability ahead of volume growth, has turned over a new leaf. UP now says it is focused on gaining traffic – and that it will grow faster than the rate of industrial production over the next three years by diverting freight from highway to rail. UP’s emphasis on […]
What’s the timeline for a Canadian National merger with Kansas City Southern?
If Canadian Pacific does not top Canadian National’s $33.6 billion offer for Kansas City Southern in the next five days, a CN-KCS merger would proceed toward the approval process. First, KCS shareholders must approve the deal announced yesterday, which would give them $200 per share in cash, along with 1.129 shares of CN common stock, […]
East Broad Top notebook: Damaged bridge replaced as part of rebuilding of main line
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – Rebuilding the main line of the East Broad Top Railroad continues at a rapid pace, with a damaged bridge replacement and significant ballast work completed this week. The historic narrow gauge line in central Pennsylvania, a National Historic Landmark, was dormant from 2011 to 2020, when it was bought by the […]