Union Pacific has lost its way: Analysis

It’s fitting that Union Pacific’s logo is a shield. The beleaguered railroad needs one given the barrage of arrows coming its way. UP has a long list of problems, many of them self-inflicted as a predictable result of its pursuit of a 55% operating ratio. There are so many issues confronting UP that it’s hard […]

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Reading & Northern sets freight, passenger records

PORT CLINTON, Pa. — Reading & Northern Railroad announced it set new records in 2022 for freight traffic and excursion passenger ridership. Revenue freight traffic rose over 4,000 carloads and the railroad carried over 250,000 passengers on its excursion trains. Reading & Northern, Pennsylvania’s largest privately-owned railroad, said the freight traffic increase was driven by […]

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Metra to introduce expanded SouthWest Service schedule

CHICAGO — Commuter rail operator Metra will introduce a major upgrade to its SouthWest Service schedule as of Jan. 16, increasing the number of weekday trains from 12 to 30 as part of a pilot program. “As we have done on other lines, we are adjusting the schedule on the SouthWest Service to meet increasing […]

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CSX gets Pan Am work off the ground

BOCA RATON, Fla. — CSX Transportation put a lot of effort into upgrading newly acquired property Pan Am Railways in 2022. That effort will continue this year, Ed Sparks, the railroad’s chief engineer, bridges, design, and construction, said Saturday. The plans for the former Pan Am trackage in New England was just one part of […]

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NS holds steady with 2023 capital plans

BOCA RATON, Fla. — When it comes to capital plans, Norfolk Southern is holding steady. The railroad is at a “steady state” in basics such as rail and tie replacement, Ed Boyle, vice president of engineering, said Thursday at the annual NRC Conference, meaning its goals for 2023 are similar to its achievements in 2022. […]

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George Walker, Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum general manager, dies

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — George Walker, Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum general manager, passenger operations, died Jan. 4, 2023, following an accident at the organization’s shop facility in the early afternoon hours, according to Penelope Soule Gault, museum marketing and public relations director, and a statement posted on their website. The museum’s statement reads: “The Tennessee Valley […]

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CEOs from BNSF, CN, NS set to appear at MARS meeting

LOMBARD, Ill. — CEOs of three Class I railroads are among the impressive list of speakers for this year’s winter meeting of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers, set for Jan. 17-19 at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in Lombard, Ill. Katie Farmer of BNSF Railway, Tracy Robinson of Canadian National, and Alan Shaw of […]

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