A string of J.B. Hunt intermodal containers head west on a BNSF Railway train at Lemont, Ill., on Dec. 22, 2019. The firm’s intermodal volume suffered a first-ever drop in 2019. TRAINS: David Lassen J.B. Hunt’s intermodal volume sank for the first time ever last year largely due to tougher truck competition in the east. […]
WASHINGTON — A government report issued Friday says the Federal Railroad Administration provided inadequate oversight of federal funds granted to California’s high speed rail program, and as a result, $2.55 billion in FRA funding “is at increased risk of not achieveing the purpose of the agreements.” The report from the Department of Transportation’s Office of […]
MONTREAL — While Bombardier remains in “active talks” with French-based Alstom over a merger of the companies’ rail equipment manufacturing, the Canadian firm has also approached Japan’s Hitachi about a possible deal, Reuters reports. The Bombardier-Alstom talks were reported earlier this week by Bloomberg [see “Report: Bombardier, Alstom discussing combining rail units,” Trains News Wire, […]
HARTFORD, Conn. – An Amtrak train has struck an engineering truck at Newington, about 5 miles southeast of Hartford on Friday. Six people onboard the train are injured. Two workers in the truck were able to escape before the impact, according to local media reports. Passengers were transferred to another train in the afternoon. According […]
New LOSSAN Executive Director Donna DeMartino. LOSSAN ORANGE, Calif. — Donna DeMartino has been named managing director of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency, effective Jan. 27. DeMartino will oversee management and operations of state-supported, Amtrak-operated Pacific Surfliner passenger trains along the LOSSAN corridor. She replaces Jennifer Berenger, who has led the […]
A power car for one of Amtrak’s new Acela trainsets takes shape at Alstom’s Hornell, N.Y., plant in June 2019. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — A day after Amtrak released a video of its new Acela trainset moving for the very first time, the passenger carrier’s Office of Inspector General released a report warning there is […]
SEATTLE — Rail-passenger advocacy group All Aboard Washington has issued a call for the Washington State Department of Transportation, Amtrak, and Sound Transit to reopen the Point Defiance Bypass and add Amtrak Cascades trains on the Seattle-Portland corridor “as soon as possible.” All Aboard Washington acknowledged it has a special interest in the subject, and […]
Trains editors offer a round-up of the news that’s fit to publish. This week, Jim and Steve talk about SEPTA’s PCC cars; Union Pacific’s rising stock price, what will happen to an N&W Y6, and more! […]
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Jan. 18, 2020, this week. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 499,732 carloads and intermodal units, down 8% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending Jan. 18 […]
The engineer in the fatal December 2017 Amtrak Cascades derailment in suing Amtrak, alleging he was not properly trained. Steve Carter TACOMA, Wash. — The engineer at the controls of an Amtrak train involved in a fatal Washington state derailment in 2017 has sued the passenger railroad, alleging that he was not properly trained. On […]
Amtrak’s southbound Heartland Flyer arrives at Norman, Okla., on June 13, 2015 Bob Johnston The Ways and Means Committee of the Kansas Legislature meets to discuss the extension of Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer from Oklahoma City to Newton, Kan. Evan Stair TOPEKA, Kan. — The Ways and Means Committee of the Kansas State Legislature met Jan. […]
MOBILE, Ala. — Resistance to helping fund Gulf Coast Amtrak service remains among Mobile City Council members ahead of an expected Jan. 28 vote on a financial commitment by the city. Earlier this week, a three-member council finance committee failed to recommend support for a resolution which would commit the council to provide money toward […]
