Metra station at Homewood, Ill., set for 50-day closure

Metra_Electric_Homewood

HOMEWOOD, Ill. — The Homewood station on Metra’s Electric District will close from April 1 to May 20 to replace the single stairway leading to the station platform, Metra has announced. The station has been undergoing a $20.7 million reconstruction since May 2023, and has remained open during the project, but must close during this […]

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Colorado officials ride inspection train from Denver to Longmont

Passenger train with locomotives at each end

LONGMONT, Colo. — Using the idle equipment from Amtrak’s Winter Park Express, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, state legislators, and local officials rode an inspection train from Denver to Longmont today (Thursday, March 7). The 44-mile, 90-minute trip used the BNSF Railway route via Boulder that is proposed for passenger service that would continue north to […]

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Ancora board nominees attack NS on safety after Pennsylvania accident

Derailed tank cars next to river

CLEVELAND — Continuing attacks on current management at Norfolk Southern, board nominees of investor Ancora Holdings have issued a “white paper” on last Saturday’s three-train NS collision in Pennsylvania in which they outline what they say would be safety upgrades at the railroad and question the current operating culture. The investment group launched a proxy […]

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RailPulse, Nexxiot announce agreement for telemetry equipment, services

Logo of RailPulse consortium

RailPulse — the consortium of railroads, railcar manufactures, railcar owners, and other industry firms developing GPS and other telematics use — and rail telemetry vendor Nexxiot have announced an agreement to make it easier for car owners to access Nexxiot products and services and join the RailPulse platform. The agreement, announced today (March 7) but […]

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Three-train NS incident unfolded in less than a minute, NTSB investigator tells township council

Locomotives on riverbank after derailment

LOWER SAUCON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A National Transportation Safety Board investigator has filled in town officials on additional details of last weekend’s incident collision and derailment involving three Norfolk Southern trains, saying a total of nine railcars derailed in the incident, WFMZ-TV reports. Ruben Payan, who is leading the NTSB team looking at train operations, […]

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NTSB chair tells Senate hearing East Palestine chemical burn could have been avoided

Black cloud of smoke above town

WASHINGTON — The controlled burn of vinyl chloride following last year’s derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, was unnecessary, National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy told a Senate hearing today — and might have been avoided with better communication. Homendy, testifying at a Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing on NTSB investigations, said in […]

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California Zephyr resumes full route after a week of cancellations

Passenger train on three-track main line

CHICAGO — Beginning today (Wednesday, March 6) Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr will depart Chicago for California for the first time the Feb. 27 departure encountered freight congestion and weather obstacles that resulted in arrival into Emeryville, Calif., 10 hours, 35 minutes late. Those cars and locomotives, stranded for more than a week at Amtrak’s Oakland […]

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Venture cars officially launched on Amtrak San Joaquins

Passenger cars with multicolored striping on siding

STOCKTON, Calif. — The operating agency for Amtrak’s San Joaquins and the California Department of Transportation officially launched San Joaquins service using Siemens Venture equipment on Tuesday, March 5, with ceremonies featuring Caltrans director Tony Taveres, state Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin, and other officials. The first Venture cars debuted in San Joaquins service without […]

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Norfolk Southern, Florida East Coast further expand intermodal service

Map of intermodal services offered by Norfolk Southern and Florida East Coast Railway

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern and Florida East Coast have announced further expansion of their international and domestic interline service, with logistics, marine, and energy company Crowley using the two railroads’ Florida Express service to move textile products to and from Charlotte, N.C., for garment and apparel manufacturing. “We are focused on providing reliable service and […]

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