NOBLE, Okla. — An Oklahoma family has filed suit against BNSF Railway, saying the railway is at fault for the death of a family member, who died of a heart attack when emergency vehicles were unable to respond because a stopped train blocked the only entrance to their street. KFOR-TV reports Larry Gene Byrd died […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Metrorail testing plan approved, but reduced service will continue through November
WASHINGTON — The independent Washington Metrorail Safety Commission has approved a plan for testing and returning DC Metrorail’s newest railcars to service, but the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will still face reduced levels of service through at least the remainder of November. The Washington Post reports the safety commission’s approval means Metro will begin […]
New contractor selected to complete Purple Line project
RIVERDALE, Md. — Maryland Transit Solutions has been selected as the contractor to complete Maryland’s much-delayed Purple Line light rail project. Purple Line Transit Partners, the consortium which will operate the 16-mile, 21-station line between Bethesda and New Carrollton, announced the decision Friday in cooperation with the Maryland Department of Transportation. The winning bidder, one […]
Horseshoe Curve diesel receives new paint
A repainting of the Pennsylvania Railroad GP9 diesel locomotive on display at Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark near Altoona, Pa., headlines several developments at the historic site where Norfolk Southern’s former-PRR Pittsburgh Line climbs the Allegheny Mountains. A final detail — applying yellow safety paint to the handrails — took place this week on the […]
News Photos: Nevada Northern diesel begins journey
The return of Kennecott Copper RSD4 No. 201 to its former home at the Nevada Northern Railway has begun. On Nov. 4, the diesel was lifted onto heavy-duty transport equipment to begin the 900-mile, three-week journey from its longtime home at the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, Wash. The locomotive is scheduled to depart Snoqualmie […]
News Photos: Wisconsin station relocated
A Brookfield, Wis., railroading landmark has been relocated. Thursday night into Friday morning, the town’s former Milwaukee Road station was moved from its location along the current Canadian Pacific right-of-way to a new spot about 350 feet away [see “Brookfield, Wis., depot prepared for move,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 29, 2021]. Estimates are that at […]
Analysis: High steel demand drives railcar loadings above pre-pandemic levels
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Industrial manufacturing is on the rise and the demand for U.S. steel is driving steel prices and railcar loadings above pre-pandemic levels, but don’t expect U.S. steelmakers to open idled operations. According to the Association of American Railroads’ weekly railcar traffic report, shipments of metallic ores and metals were up to 22,369 […]
News Photo: Canadian Pacific locomotive honors shipper
Canadian Pacific has repainted one of its locomotives to recognize container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, the key customer in the railroad’s container service from Port Saint John, New Brunswick, that began earlier this year. The orange ES44AC, No. 8781, was photographed Thursday at CP’s Bensenville Yard in Franklin Park, Ill. – Bruce Leighty […]
Testing plan submitted for sidelined Metrorail cars
WASHINGTON — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has submitted a testing plan for returning its 7000-series Metrorail cars to operation to address its current equipment shortage. The Washington Post reports the plan submitted to the independent Washington Metrorail Safety Commission would call for checking the cars every eight days for a wheel defect that […]
NJ Transit to add 36 trains to weekly schedule
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit will add 36 trains to its weekly commuter rail schedule as of Sunday, Nov. 14, with the 22 weekday trains and 14 on weekends coming as part of the agency’s regular fall service adjustments. “As rail ridership grows and commuting patterns continue to evolve, NJ Transit is committed to delivering […]
Former LIRR foreman receives five months in prison for overtime fraud
NEW YORK — A former Long Island Railroad foreman was sentenced to five months in prison on Thursday for his role in a massive overtime fraud case involving Metropolitan Transportation Authority employees. The New York Daily News reports John Nugent, 51, pleaded guilty for his part in a case in which he claimed to work […]
Analysis: Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger has all the right stuff
The proposed merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern – the first combination of Class I systems in two decades, and likely the last – should win favor in Washington. After all, their comprehensive merger application checks all of the Surface Transportation Board’s boxes. More rail competition? Canadian Pacific Kansas City has that in […]
