Steven Ditmeyer Steven Ditmeyer’s long career in railroading and related industries began as a transportation trainee for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. He has been a transportation economist at The World Bank; chief engineer of research, communications, and control systems at Burlington Northern; and held positions with the Federal Railroad Administration. He is currently the principal […]
Surface Transportation Board Vice Chairman Patrick Fuchs (left) speaks as STB Commissioner Marthy Oberman listens during a Sunday discussion fo STB activities at the NRC Conference in Coronado, Calif. TRAINS: David Lassen CORONADO, Calif. — Two-thirds of the members of the Surface Transportation Board were on hand for a discussion of the agency’s activities on […]
Union Pacific OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific shut down Armourdale Yard in Kansas City, Kan., last week, shifting its switching work to the adjacent 18th Street Yard. The move, which union officials say affected 20 to 100 jobs, is UP’s latest in the Kansas City area. In October UP closed Neff Yard, its hump yard […]
BNSF’s main line to the Pacific Northwest remains closed because of this Wednesday derailment. Idaho State Police BONNERS FERRY, Idaho — BNSF Railway’s main line to the Pacific Northwest is still closed, more than a day after a derailment sent a locomotive into a frigid Idaho river. On Wednesday night, a westbound manifest freight derailed […]
BERLIN — German national passenger rail operator Deutsche Bahn has dropped fares for intercity travel for the first time in 17 years, with a 10% on tickets for intercity travel of more than 31 miles (50 kilometers). The lower fares reflect a decrease in the German government’s value-added tax on rail travel, from 19% to […]
DALLAS — Progress Rail has sold its rail maintenance-of-way equipment leasing company to affiliates of Paceline Equity Partners, Paceline announced Thursday. Paceline is a Dallas-based private equity manager with investments in assets, corporate debt, and private equity. Progress Rail Equipment Leasing Corp., headquartered in the Detroit area, provides equipment for maintenance work including tie replacement, […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has dismissed a complaint from a coalition of rail shippers taking issue with what they characterized as unfair fuel surcharges. The STB’s decision to deny the petition for reconsideration on Dec. 30 is the latest in a long-brewing conflict over fuel surcharges. Railroads say they are simply trying to […]
Trains editors discuss all the rail news that’s fit to print for the week of Jan. 3, 2020. This week, Jim and Steve talk about a BNSF Railway derailment in Idaho, a judge’s ruling on a Durango & Silverton lawsuit, and more. […]
BNSF’s main line to the Pacific Northwest is shut down after this train derailed into the Kootenai River in Idaho on Wednesday. Idaho State Police BONNERS FERRY, Idaho — A BNSF Railway crew was briefly trapped inside a partially-submerged locomotive following a derailment in northern Idaho Wednesday night. BNSF spokesperson Gus Melonas tells Trains News […]
Bombardier’s contract to operate and maintain the AirTrain system at New York’s JFK Airport has been renewed. Bombardier NEW YORK — Bombardier Transportation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have renewed Bombardier’s contract to operate and maintain the automated AirTrain system at John F. Kennedy Airport, which connects airport terminals with […]
DURANGO, Colo. — A federal judge in Colorado has recommended the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit seeking costs associated with a 2018 wildfire be thrown out. In July 2019, attorneys for the federal government filed a lawsuit demanding the narrow gauge railroad pay $25 million to compensate the U.S. […]
BOSTON — Preliminary indications are that a low-speed derailment of a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter train on Dec. 26 came when the train crew attempted to pass through a switch that was not properly aligned, a finding that is sparking plans for more crew training. The MBTA, contract operator Keolis Commuter Services, and the […]
