FORT WORTH, Texas — The American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) has voted to ratify a new contract agreement with BNSF Railway. The new agreement, announced today, increases wages, accelerates paid vacation accrual, and includes other contractual improvements. The news comes a month ahead of the opening of the next collective bargaining round and provides a […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has asked federal regulators for a timeline for completion of the environmental review of the railroad’s proposal to build a 6-mile branch that would serve an industrial park near Phoenix. On Aug. 31, 2023, the Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis put an indefinite hold on the final environmental assessment […]
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, known for its stewardship of Nickel Plate Road steam engine No. 765 and the Indiana Rail Experience rail tourism program, has named Kelly Lynch as its first executive director — the first paid employee in the organization’s 52-year history. Lynch has been a member of […]
In every issue News, p. 6 First Siemens café car debuts in Amtrak’s Midwest service, and a summer of challenges for the Northeast Corridor Bill Stephens, p. 9 Railroads should copy Norfolk Southern’s Short Line Performance Project Preservation, p. 42 Northwest Railroad Museum in Snoqualmie, Wash., to build new roundhouse, gallery, and turntable Great Railfan […]
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Service resumed late this morning (Thursday, Oct. 3) after a day and a half of shuttle-bus substitutions on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Green Line in the wake of Tuesday’s derailment of a Green Line train near Lechmere station in Cambridge. On Wednesday, the MBTA had said it was “unclear” when service […]
NEW YORK — Penn Station must be expanded to accommodate future traffic, according to Amtrak and the commuter railroads using the Manhattan rail hub. That is the conclusion of a report — commissioned by Amtrak, NJ Transit, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — released Wednesday after studying alternatives to expansion. The report determined that the […]
SEATTLE — Amtrak has awarded a construction contract for upgrades to its King Street Yard in Seattle, meant to prepare the facility for arrival of next-generation Amtrak Airo equipment for the Amtrak Cascades route as well as improving maintenance for long-distance trains that use the facilities. PCL Construction Services will lead design and construction on […]
WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic remained ahead of 2023 levels for the week ending Sept. 28, 2024, although the gain was the smallest in more than two months. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, total volume for the week was 507,537 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.6% increase over the corresponding […]
BERLIN —The InnoTrans trade fair in late September brought together almost all major manufacturers, large and small, serving the global rail industry. Every InnoTrans edition has one or more overall themes in terms of new technology, and in 2024 the buzz words were AI (Artificial Intelligence) and alternative power sources for trains. In both cases, […]
ATLANTA — Operation of Amtrak’s Crescent has been suspended between Atlanta and New Orleans because of a bridge issue on Norfolk Southern’s main line near Slidell, La. The Amtrak Alerts feed on X.com reported on Monday, Oct. 1, that the southbound Crescent that left New York on Sept. 30 was being terminated in Meridian, Miss., […]
The war of words continues as the strike by International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) workers against U.S. East and Gulf Coast port employers entered its second day. The job action primarily affects container handling and roll-on, roll-off services at ports and terminals from Texas to Maine, and comes as importers enter the critical end-of-year retail selling […]
DINGMANS FERRY, Pa. — Operation Toy Train has announced the schedule for its 16th year collecting toy donations for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation and other organizations that benefit underprivileged children. This year, the program has expanded to include Southern California and New York’s capitol region, joining previous operations in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, […]
