NJ Transit trains meet in Elizabeth, N.J., in August 2019. The agency is one of several increasing cleaning and disinfecting efforts because of the coronavirus. TRAINS: David Lassen Commuter railroads and transit agencies throughout North America are stepping up cleaning efforts to address passenger concerns over the Covid-19 coronavirus spreading across the continent. Among the […]
Fundraising continues for Western Maryland No. 1309, shown during restoration work last August. Tishia Boggs CUMBERLAND, Md. — Using funds donated by Trains magazine readers, Western Maryland Scenic Railroad has picked up the 12 drive-wheel journal boxes for steam locomotive No. 1309 to replace those stolen in an employee theft two years ago. Meanwhile, the fund-raising drive launched […]
DALLAS — RailcarRx, a leading provider of software products and services for the Rail Industry, announced that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has deployed a customized data analytics/decision support platform developed by RailcarRx to provide their operations and maintenance department with actionable information to help improve their asset lifecycle management processes. Steve Adkins, director of […]
WASHINGTON – Today, 450 railroad industry employees will knock on 330 doors on Capitol Hill, exercising their first Amendment right to petition their government and tell their story. The annual gathering of freight rail professionals, known as Railroad Day on Capitol Hill, was first held nearly twenty years ago. The gathering is unique as it […]
The Wednesday morning rail roundup: — In a significant blow to the fledgling commuter rail service, California voters in Sonoma and Marin counties have turned down a measure extending the quarter-cent sales tax that funds Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit. Approval of the measure would have guaranteed funding through 2059, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports; without […]
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Feb. 29, 2020, as well as volumes for February 2020. U.S. railroads originated 927,084 carloads in February 2020, down 7.3%, or 73,058 carloads, from February 2019. U.S. railroads also originated 997,683 containers and trailers in […]
New MARS President Stefan Loeb, left, is congratulated by outgoing president Tom Surma, who was honored for his leadership at the 2020 Winter Meeting in January. MARS submitted photo CHICAGO — The Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS) elected its 2020 slate of officers at the annual winter meeting earlier in January. The 2020 MARS […]
More Tuesday rail news: — Following the lead of several airlines, Amtrak says it will waive ticket-change fees for travelers wishing to change plans because of concerns over the coronavirus that has killed six people in the U.S. In a statement on its website, the passenger railroad says it will waive the fees on new […]
Tuesday morning rail news: — Union Pacific and the city of Palestine, Texas, have been ordered to go to mediation over UP’s efforts to do away with a 150-year-old agreement requiring the railroad to keep a set number of jobs in the community. The Palestine Herald-Press reports a federal court is requiring the sites to […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific says federal regulators should not allow a firm controlled by New York City real estate magnates to poach its long-dormant route over Tennessee Pass using a legal maneuver designed to preserve rail service. UP will formally oppose KCVN LLC and Colorado Pacific Railroad LLC’s plan to acquire the 228-mile former Denver […]
UP performance numbers presented this week at a conference in Florida. Union Pacific GRANDE LAKES, Fla. – Union Pacific’s intermodal on-time performance improved in January, but the reliability of the railroad’s merchandise and automotive traffic deteriorated, partly due to the impact of the idling of the hump at Davidson Yard in Fort Worth, Texas. For the […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to apply for $8.5 million in Fiscal Year 2020 competitive grant funding for projects that help lift communities out of poverty and support recovery from substance abuse. The new Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) program […]
