SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — With heavy rains forecast over the next several days and no long-term solution for the latest landslide in the San Clemente area, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner has extended its revised schedule of cancellations and bus-bridge service through at least Friday, Feb. 9. Meanwhile, the state of California issued an emergency declaration Thursday […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
New York open-gangway subway cars make debut
NEW YORK — New York City Transit’s first R211T open-gangway subway cars entered service on Thursday, operating on the C line between Washington Heights and East New York, following an inaugural ride featuring Gov. Kathy Hochul and Metropolitan Transportation Authority and elected officials. Hochul also announced that 1,000 of the city’s subway cars are now […]
CSX reaches sick time agreements with four more unions
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation today (Thursday, Feb. 1) announced it had reached agreement with four additional unions to provide paid sick leave to employees, extending that coverage to an additional 600 workers. Unions involved are SMART-TD conductors/trainmen (C&O); SMART-TD yardmasters; the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, and Carrolton Road-Transportation Communications Union-represented engineers, yardmen, and maintenance […]
CPKC joins RailPulse telematics coalition
CALGARY, Alberta – Canadian Pacific Kansas City has become the third Class I railroad to join the RailPulse freight car telematics joint venture. “We are pleased to be a part of RailPulse and to contribute to accelerating adoption of railcar telemetry in North America,” CPKC Chief Marketing Officer John Brooks said in a statement today. […]
Two-person crew bill advances in Nebraska
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska legislation that would require two-person train crews advanced in the state’s legislature on Wednesday, with an amended version passing in the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee by a 35-8 vote. LB 31 was introduced last year by state Sen. Mike Jacobson (R-North Platte, Neb.) and establishes penalties of up to $10,000 for […]
Merger application details CN’s plans for Iowa Northern Railway
WASHINGTON — Canadian National’s proposed acquisition of the 218-mile Iowa Northern Railway will boost rail competition, divert freight off the highway, and give Iowa shippers broader access to single-line service, CN says in a merger application filed this week with the Surface Transportation Board. CN spent $230 million to acquire the Class III railroad from […]
CPKC announces schedule for 2816’s ‘Final Spike Anniversary Steam Tour’
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City will launch the “Final Spike Anniversary Steam Tour,” featuring 4-6-4 No. 2816 on a Canada-to-Mexico trip to celebrate last year’s Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, on April 24 at its headquarters in Calgary. A total of 11 stops are planned for the tour, concluding June 4 in Mexico […]
STB rules against CN in Chicago interchange dispute with CP
WASHINGTON — In the latest twist in a long-running Chicago interchange dispute, federal regulators yesterday ruled that it’s unreasonable for Canadian National to unilaterally designate the Belt Railway of Chicago’s Clearing Yard as the location where it will exchange traffic with rival Canadian Pacific Kansas City. It’s the second time that the Surface Transportation Board […]
RailPulse gains first rail shipper as a member of the telematics joint venture
Bunge, an agricultural company, has become the first shipper to join the RailPulse freight car telematics joint venture. “By joining RailPulse as the first railcar-owning shipper, we are taking a proactive step toward driving positive change and digital transformation within the rail shipping industry,” Terry McDermott, director of supply chain – North American Rail at […]
News photo: New paint for an Amtrak veteran
Amtrak is beginning to give its General Electric locomotive fleet a look in keeping with its newer units. Fresh from an overhaul at the Beech Grove Heavy Maintenance Facility, Amtrak P42 No. 174, manufactured in 2001, sports a variation of the paint scheme the company uses on its new Siemens Charger locomotives as it leads the […]
FRA report outlines results of nationwide inspections conducted after East Palestine wreck
WASHINGTON — The 180-day nationwide safety blitz that the Federal Railroad Administration conducted in the wake of the Feb. 3, 2023, hazardous materials derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, found that railroads’ track, equipment, and processes were generally in compliance with federal regulations. But the FRA, outlining its findings in a report released last week, did […]
Missing bolts, track issue led to Coney Island derailment, MTA says
NEW YORK — Missing bolts on a subway car and a track misalignment led to the derailment of a New York City Transit subway train at Coney Island on Jan. 10, the New York Daily News reports in a paywalled article. Four bolts were missing from the car’s radius arm, part of the suspension system, […]