CALGARY, Alberta — A combined Canadian National and Kansas City Southern system would reduce railroad competition across wide swath of its expanded service territory, which would pose a regulatory challenge to a potential merger, Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel says. “The competition between KCS and CN is not limited to a ‘handful’ of shippers as CN […]
News photo: Exo donates gallery coach to Exporail
Exo, the Montreal-area commuter railroad, has donated a gallery coach, to Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum in Saint-Constant, Quebec, on Montreal’s south shore. AMT No. 900 — the abbreviation refers to Exo predecessor Agence métropolitaine de transport — was moved to the museum on Friday from Exo’s Pointe St-Charles maintenance facility. The transit agency had […]
Digest: Maryland county plans to take CSX bridge issue to STB
Allagany County, Md., plans to ask STB to intervene in bridge dispute with CSX The Allagany County, Md., Board of Commissioners will file a complaint against CSX Transportation with the Surface Transportation Board over a bridge closure in Cumberland, Md., saying the railroad has blocked any effort to address the issue, although the railroad says […]
Local shipper groups drop challenge, now back CN sale of former WC branches to Watco
WASHINGTON — Two local shipper groups have dropped their challenge to Canadian National’s proposed sale of former Wisconsin Central branches to short line operator Watco. Wisconsin Central Group and the Lake States Shippers Association met with Watco’s leadership team last week in Green Bay, Wis., and have decided to support the transaction involving 650 miles […]
News and Analysis: Colorado commission advances Front Range plans
DENVER – The last vestige of north-south passenger trains serving the Mile-High City disappeared 50 years ago when Santa Fe’s ragamuffin round trip to the east-west main line at La Junta, Colo., didn’t transition to Amtrak. But work is well under way to change that. The Southwest Chief and Front Range Passenger Rail Commission is […]
Digest: Amtrak adds carbon-savings information to NEC tickets
Amtrak tickets on Northeast Corridor will now show carbon-emission savings Amtrak will add information on carbon-emission savings to Northeast Corridor tickets, showing how much they saved by not driving and by not flying. On the electrified route between Boston and Washington, D.C., Amtrak says use of its trains produces 83% less emissions than driving and […]
Digest: Aberdeen Carolina & Western, Savage combine on locomotive rebuilds
Aberdeen Carolina & Western rebuilds six locomotives for Savage North Carolina’s Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway and rail operations and logistics company Savage Services have combined to rebuild six locomotives for a Houston industrial facility. The four SD40-2 and two MP15 were rebuilt at the AC&W’s shops under the direction of Steven Weathers, the railroad’s […]
EMD SD70MAC diesel locomotive profile
The 1990s were a decade of change for the rail industry. One of the biggest changes was ushered in by the introduction of the EMD SD70MAC diesel locomotive. The transformation of railroad rosters from D.C. traction locomotives to A.C. traction began, and the results have revolutionized railroads big and small. EMD’s SD70MAC was the first […]
Kansas City Southern will open talks over Canadian National purchase bid (second update)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern will begin discussions with Canadian National over its offer for the railroad after the KCS board of directors determined the CN bid could reasonably be expected to lead to a “company superior proposal,” as defined in its merger agreement with Canadian Pacific, KCS announced in a Saturday press […]
Digest: Canadian freight car company halts construction because of COVID-19 outbreak
National Steel Car stops manufacturing because of virus outbreak Canadian freight car manufacturer National Steel Car has voluntarily shut down because of a COVID-19 outbreak in its manufacturing division. Global News reports the company in Hamilton, Ont., announced the decision on Friday, saying the closure will last for two weeks and was made in consultation […]
Surface Transportation Board rules CP-KCS deal will be judged under less stringent merger rules
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board ruled late Friday that it would apply its pre-2001 merger regulations in its consideration of the potential merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, granting the waiver specified for mergers involving KCS when new, stricter merger rules were adopted in 2001. In a 4-1 decision announced shortly before […]
Key representative critical of any rail merger involving Kansas City Southern
WASHINGTON – In the first sign of congressional opposition to further rail mergers, the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure said today that the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National dueling proposals to acquire Kansas City Southern should set off alarm bells. Rep. Peter DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat, said an acquisition of KCS […]