BURLINGTON, Iowa — BNSF Railway’s Ottumwa Subdvision has felt the wrath of the Mississippi River, as its waters have covered tracks in downtown Burlington, Iowa. Trains have continued to operate, although at a greatly reduced speed. The river crested at 24.45 feet on Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. That same day, a […]
Section: News Wire
Cass Climax nearing completion NEWSWIRE
Cass Scenic Railroad’s long anticipated Climax is nearing completion this summer. Cass Scenic Railroad CASS, W.Va. — In less than 12 weeks, a more than decade-long project will be completed when Cass Scenic Railroad crews finish the restoration of Middle Fork Climax No. 9. Cass shop crews are expecting the arrival of the locomotive’s steam […]
Floods ravage railroads in Arkansas and Oklahoma; BNSF and Union Pacific affected NEWSWIRE
BNSF Railway flooding map BNSF Railway Union Pacific flooding map as of May 31 Union Pacific LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas River flooding has closed portions of the Union Pacific in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and elsewhere in the Midwest, while BNSF Railway has restored Midwestern service and remedied a brief Friday shutdown in Missouri of its […]
Illinois passes budget with funds for transit, commuter, intercity rail NEWSWIRE
Amtrak’s Illinois Zephyr passes through Lisle, Ill., on the BNSF Railway on May 25, 2019. Among items in the new Illinois budget is funding for two additional state-supported Amtrak trains and extension of BNSF commuter service into Kendall County. TRAINS: David Lassen SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — In a surprise Saturday session, the Illinois General Assembly passed a […]
Police car, train collide during pursuit in West Virginia NEWSWIRE
A South Charleston police cruiser was destroyed Sunday after getting stuck on a CSX right-of-way near Charleston, W.Va. The car became stuck on a rail while in pursuit of a vehicle. Two photos, Harry Hamrick CHARLESTON, W.Va. – For the second time in two weeks, a police car has been involved in a collision with […]
Supreme Court declines AAR request on Amtrak performance standards (updated) NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined a request from the Association of American Railroads to review a lower-court ruling regarding the authority of Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration to establish on-time performance metrics and standards for Amtrak operation on host freight railroads. The convoluted legal history of the case has seen a […]
Suspension of Amtrak’s ‘Missouri River Runner’ continues NEWSWIRE
ST. LOUIS — Amtrak’s suspension of Missouri River Runner operation between St. Louis and Kansas City has been extended again, this time through at least Wednesday, June 5. Rerouted Union Pacific freight traffic, the result of flooding elsewhere in the Midwest, continues to lead to track congestion resulting in the suspension. Chartered buses are substituting […]
Trinity Rail to open new facility in Iowa NEWSWIRE
DALLAS — Trinity Rail Maintenance Services, a subsidiary of carbuilder Trinity Rail, has announced it will build a $60 million railcar repair facility in the eastern Iowa community of Shell Rock. The company, headquartered in Dallas, has purchased a 230-arce site for the facility, which will employ more than 250 people when completed in 2020. […]
Twin Cities-Duluth train faces wait of at least another year NEWSWIRE
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Efforts to advance proposed Amtrak service between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Duluth-Superior will have to wait another year after the Minnesota legislature failed to address a bill which included funding for the proposed Northern Lights Express. The proposed $550 million cost of starting the service, including adding capacity to BNSF’s main line, […]
Veteran Metro North M2 MU cars have run their last miles NEWSWIRE
Connecticut Department of Transportation M2 No. 8705 leads a weekend Metro-North New Haven-Grand Central terminal train at West Haven, Conn., March 7, 2015. This M2 set would be one of the last of the fleet to operate until the end of 2018. Scott A. Hartley NEW HAVEN, Conn. – After more than 44 years of […]
Congestion, flooding disrupting ‘Southwest Chief,’ ‘Texas Eagle,’ ‘California Zephyr’ NEWSWIRE
The westbound California Zephyr passes through West Hinsdale, Ill., on May 23, 2019. The westbound Zephyr will return to its regular BSNF route today after two days of detours and cancellations, while the Southwest Chief and Texas Eagle are also experiencing service disruptions. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — An early morning track closure Friday because […]
Big Boy excursion set for Southern California NEWSWIRE
UP 4014, seen in Wyoming earlier this month, will run in California in October. Trains: Jim Wrinn POMONA, Calif. — Payback can be pretty sweet, afterall. The organization that traded Big Boy No. 4014 to the Union Pacific in 2013 said Friday it will get an excursion with the locomotive Oct. 12 and 13. According […]
