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 […]
Section: News & Reviews
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 […]
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 […]
Could Canadian Pacific and Canadian National split Kansas City Southern?
As Canadian Pacific and Canadian National continue their duel for control of Kansas City Southern, one topic keeps coming up: Why don’t the Canadian railways jointly acquire KCS and split it up? With so much bad blood between CP and CN it’s not a likely scenario, as their war of words has escalated this week. […]
CN touts its bid for Kansas City Southern, rebuts CP criticism
WASHINGTON – The railroad duel of the 21st century continues. In a letter to federal regulators, Canadian National today touted its “superior” bid for Kansas City Southern and sought to correct “misleading statements” that Canadian Pacific made this week about a potential CN-KCS merger. Last month CP and KCS reached a friendly, $29 billion deal […]
Metra seeks to convert three diesels to battery power
CHICAGO — The Metra board of directors has approved a Request for Proposals to convert three of Metra’s F40PH-3 diesels into battery-powered, zero-emission diesels, with the aim of awarding a contract this fall and having the first locomotive delivered 30 months later. “This proposal could be game-changing,” Metra Executive Director/CEO Jim Derwinski said in a […]
Digest: Senate Republicans release $568 billion infrastructure proposal
Republican infrastructure proposal includes $61 billion for transit, $20 billion for rail Senate Republicans have released a $568 billion infrastructure plan to counter the $2.3 trillion plan proposed by President Joe Biden. The website The Hill reports the Republican plan defines infrastructure more narrowly, emphasizing roads, railroads, public transit, airports, wastewater system and broadband infrastructure. […]
Digest: BNSF train derails in Southern California desert
No injuries as BNSF intermodal train derails near Barstow About 15 cars of a BNSF Railway intermodal train derailed Thursday at Jimgray, Calif., about 24 miles northwest of Barstow on the railroad’s Mojave Subdivision. The San Bernardino County Fire Department reports on Twitter that it responded to the accident about 6 a.m., but there were […]