Lenox Tower project complete, Illinois DOT announces

Freight train crosses tracks near building being demolished

  MITCHELL, Ill. — A $10.1 million project to reconfigure and modernize rail operations at Lenox Tower, a key rail junction northeast of St. Louis, has been completed, the Illinois Department of Transportation has announced. The joint federal and state project, also funded by Amtrak and freight railroads, was announced more than a year ago […]

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Design firm selected for CREATE Pullman Junction project

Map of rail junction in south Chicago

CHICAGO — Engineering and design firm Benesch has been selected by Norfolk Southern to handle final track design for Segment B of CREATE’s EW3 project, the Pullman Junction project on the city’s South Side. The project will involve track infrastructure in a 2-mile segment from the Belt Railway of Chicago’s Commerical Yard, in the vicinity […]

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U.S. rail traffic dips in September

Weekly table showing U.S. railroad traffic by carload type plus intermodal totals

WASHINGTON — After a brief climb into positive territory in August, U.S. rail traffic once again declined in September, the sixth time in seven months volume has been below 2021 levels. The September figures saw overall traffic drop 3.1%, or 61,678 carloads and intermodal units, compared to September 2021. Carload traffic was down 1.1% while […]

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Pittsburgh Regional Transit light rail train derails

Logo of Pittsburgh Regional Transit

DORMONT, Pa. — No injuries were reported Wednesday when a Pittsburgh Regional Transit light rail train derailed in Dormont, KDKA-TV reports. Service was disrupted on the PRT’s Red Line for about 3½ hours after the derailment at about 10 a.m. near Kelton Avenue in the community southwest of downtown Pittsburgh. The cause of the accident […]

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California, Siemens say first Venture cars are ready, but debut on San Joaquins remains in limbo

Passenger cars with multicolored striping on siding

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Department of Transportation and Siemens Mobility said last week that Caltrans has accepted the first seven of 49 Venture cars destined for Bakersfield-Oakland/Sacramento San Joaquin trains. No date is set for the cars’ entry into revenue service, however — in part because Amtrak must also make final inspections and formally […]

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Montana Rail Link’s BLET employees ratify contract with BNSF Railway

A blue Montana Rail Link train works alongside a river with mountains in the background.

Montana Rail Link employees represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified a contract agreement with BNSF Railway, a key step in BNSF taking over operations of the regional railroad. The union announced Tuesday that “an overwhelming majority of participating BLET members ratified an implementing agreement and Oregon Short Line Protective Agreement […]

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Athearn Genesis General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive

Orange and dark green diesel locomotive with no logos

General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $259.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $359.99. Add $10 for Primed for Grime models. Era: 1994+ to present (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive features: Trainline and […]

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Chicago-area opponents ask regulators to delay decision on CP-KCS merger

Freight train with black locomotive passes commuter rail station

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Illinois politicians and members of the suburban group opposed to the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger are calling on the Surface Transportation Board to delay its decision on the merger until it can conduct a separate study on the impact in the Chicago area. In a Tuesday press conference, U.S. Sen. Dick […]

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Seminole Gulf Railway faces lengthy closure after hurricane

Map of railroad in southwest Florida

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Florida’s Seminole Gulf Railway could be shut down for up to six months because of damage suffered from Hurricane Ian, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports. Executive Vice President Robert Fay told the Business Journal the railroad had lost six bridges as a result of the storm, including three totaling 1,300 linear […]

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WalthersProto Trinity four-bay covered hopper

Model of gray hopper car in front of white background

WalthersProto Trinity four-bay covered hopper Price: $49.99 Manufacturer Wm. K. Walthers Inc. 5601 W. Florist Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53218 walthers.com Era: 2007 to present (as decorated) Road names: Trinity Industries Leasing (gray and black [75th anniversary] schemes), Archer Daniels Midland (gray with modern logo), Bunge North America Inc. (gray), Cenex Harvest States Cooperative (gray), CIT […]

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