Monday rail news in brief: Portal Bridge project advances with commitment for federal funding The project to replace New Jersey’s infamous Portal Bridge has received a Federal Transit Administration commitment to fund nearly half the project, state officials said Friday. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy wrote on Twitter that the bridge will “enter into its […]
The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued its final rule for transportation of liquefied natural gas by rail, a controversial and highly politicized new rule which will take effect 30 days after its publication in the Federal Register. The rule, developed by the DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in consultation with the Federal […]
Passenger rail news and analysis: ‘Silver Star,’ ‘Meteor’ changes coming July 6 Amtrak will alternate service on its two New York-Miami trains running on different routes through the Carolinas as of July 6, a move it attributes to COVID-19 pandemic ridership drops and a preview of the company’s still mostly undefined plans to cut virtually […]
Sunday rail news in brief: VIA Rail Canada to require masks starting Tuesday Two months after Transport Canada asked passenger rail operators to require riders to wear face masks, VIA Rail Canada has decided to do so. As of Tuesday, June 23, passengers will be required to wear a mask at all times during their […]
SODA SPRINGS, Idaho — Union Pacific crews are working to clean up a June 17 derailment that put as many as 31 cars on the ground, East Idaho News reports. The media outlet reports that the cars derailed about 9:30 p.m. June 17 near Soda Springs, Idaho, about 150 north of Salt Lake City. No […]
IRVINE, Ky. – Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp. has acquired SD40-2 No. 6162 from Norfolk Southern via donation. In its 42-year career, No. 6162 saw service in the Appalachian coalfields and hauled countless tons of freight through Central Kentucky. Chris Campbell, president of the nonprofit, says the addition to Kentucky Steam is a major milestone in […]
ORBISONIA, Pa. – For the first time since 2011, the narrow-gauge East Broad Top Railroad in central Pennsylvania will offer public passenger-train rides Aug. 13-15. The reopening of the National Historic Landmark coincides with the 260th anniversary of the founding of the town of Orbisonia and its twin borough, Rockhill Furnace, home to the company’s […]
More Thursday rail news in brief: CSX cuts 86 from managerial ranks CSX cut 86 jobs — mostly at its Jacksonville, Fla., headquarters — last week as part of management realignment, the Jacksonville Daily Record reports. The railroad told the newspaper in a statement: “The changes followed a careful review of our management organization that […]
Thursday morning rail news in brief: Group tells STB of opposition to Uinta Basion rail project An environmental group has filed its objection to Utah’s proposed Uinta Basin Railway with the Surface Transportation Board. The letter from Chicago attorney Thomas McFarland, representing the Argyle Wilderness Preservation Alliance, asks that the STB provide at least 45 […]
More Wednesday morning rail news: Gwinnett County, Ga., voters may again see transit initiative Voters in Georgia’s Gwinnett County may cast ballots on a transit referendum, including extension of Atlanta’s MARTA heavy-rail system, for the second year in a row. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports county commissioners voted 3-1 in favor of advancing a $12 […]
DULUTH, Ga. — Three people were transported to the hospital with minor injuries after a Norfolk Southern intermodal train hit a truck and derailed at a grade crossing near downtown Duluth on Wednesday morning. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the accident occurred about 9:45 a.m., and two train crewmen and the driver of the truck suffered […]
NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk Southern has confirmed that it has idled the hump at Moorman Yard in Bellevue, Ohio, and is converting the largest classification yard in the East to a flat-switching facility. “Due to declining car volumes, NS will idle the yard’s hump and begin flat switching rail cars. This alteration will allow for […]
