CSX line sales in Florida CSX Transportation’s line sales are highlighted in yellow on the map. TRAINS: Rick Johnson/Steve Sweeney JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation’s deal to sell its Florida Panhandle route to short line operator RailUSA is back on. The newly created Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad is scheduled to make its debut over […]
Section: News Wire
Extra service added for Hartford-New Haven corridor during men’s basketball tournament games NEWSWIRE
HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut officials are encouraging visitors to NCAA basketball tournament games to ride the rails. On March 20, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced that additional late night return rail and bus services will be provided for the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments, which will be held in the […]
Federal regulators slate May hearing on demurrage charges as shippers complain NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators have scheduled a May hearing on Class I railroads’ higher demurrage and accessorial charges, which can hit shippers who don’t load or unload freight cars quickly enough. The May 22 hearing, which the Surface Transportation Board announced on Wednesday, comes as shippers are complaining about the charges that have become more […]
Floodwaters spare Midwest railroad museums NEWSWIRE
Mid-Continent Railway Museum’s proximity to the swollen Baraboo River in March 2019. Mid-Continent Railway Museum The recent deadly flooding across the Midwest has caused scores of problems for railroads, and after some close calls, railroad museums and preservation operations across the nation’s heartland continue to monitor nearby waterways for signs of trouble. Trains “News Wire” […]
McCormack retires as Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation president NEWSWIRE
McCormack with Nickel Plate Road-painted PA1 No. 190 in 2014. Justin Franz PORTLAND, Ore. – Preservationist and steam locomotive engineer Doyle McCormack has stepped down as president of the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation after 15 years. McCormack, best known as the engineer aboard Southern Pacific 4-8-4 No. 4449, will remain on the board of directors […]
Metra anger boils over at Amtrak for Union Station snafu NEWSWIRE
CHICAGO – Metra’s longstanding displeasure with Amtrak over problems at Chicago Union Station blew up into heated criticism – complete with some coarse language – as a result of a “human error” which shut down train operations last month. One by one, most of Metra’s board of directors took aim Wednesday at Amtrak, accusing the […]
Metra OKs funds to buy eight new locomotives NEWSWIRE
CHICAGO — Only one month after approving a $71 million contract to purchase 15 remanufactured locomotives, Metra’s board has allocated $56 million to buy eight new locomotives that meet the latest Tier 4 federal emissions standards. Part of the money, $14 million, is coming from funds that Illinois is receiving as part of the $2 […]
Michigan’s Steam Railroading Institute acquires two Amtrak Pacific Parlour Cars NEWSWIRE
Interested buyers examine a ‘Pacific Parlour Car’ at during a public inspection at Amtrak’s Beech Grove Heavy Maintenance Facility in December 2018. Bob Johnston OWOSSO, Mich. – Two Amtrak Pacific Parlour Cars will soon join Steam Railroading Institute’s passenger car fleet. The cars were built as Santa Fe Hi-level lounges by the Budd Co. in […]
NJ Transit faces engineer shortage this summer NEWSWIRE
NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey commuters can expect cancellations and delays this summer for a lack of qualified locomotive engineers. After taking a tour of NJ Transit’s Emergency Operation Center in Maplewood, N.J., on Tuesday afternoon, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told media members present that having just eight graduates in May from engineer training […]
Suburban Atlanta County votes down transit measure NEWSWIRE
ATLANTA — Voters in the northern Atlanta suburb of Gwinnett County rejected a proposal to expand MARTA into their county, the third time in nearly 50 years they have denied such a plan. The referendum asked voters to authorize a contract with the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, which would have added a 1 percent […]
Tickets for Big Boy christening in Cheyenne go on sale March 22 NEWSWIRE
The EventBrite page to buy Big Boy christening tickets on Friday. CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Tickets for a front row seat to see Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 depart Cheyenne on its inaugural run in May are going on sale March 21. The Cheyenne Depot Museum is selling tickets to a special christening ceremony scheduled […]
Weather taking a toll on rail traffic, but economic factors are in play, too NEWSWIRE
The spate of harsh winter weather and flooding that has wreaked havoc with operations on BNSF Railway and Union Pacific has helped submerge traffic volumes, too. UP’s carload traffic fell 12 percent in the week ending March 16, while intermodal volume was down 9 percent, amid record flooding in Nebraska and a rock slide and […]