WILMINGTON, N.C. — The City of Wilmington is seeking consultants to conduct preliminary engineering, environmental, and historic preservation studies for a plan to relocate CSX rail lines across the Cape Fear River from the city and turn the existing rail line into a light rail route. The Port City Daily reports the city council will […]
Bob Johnston NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Extending Illinois-sponsored trains from Carbondale, Ill., to Memphis, Tenn., and establishing a route between Nashville and Atlanta were ideas suggested by an Amtrak representiative to a Tennessee legislative committee this week. As first reported in the Nashville Tennessean, Amtrak Senior Director of Government Affairs Ray Lang’s appearance Tuesday before the […]
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Rail Excursion Management Co. announced Friday that it would again run its Autumn Colors Express through West Virginia’s New River Gorge in October. The Autumn Colors Express first ran in 2019 and was organized after the operators of the original New River Train, the Collis P. Huntington Chapter of the National Railroad […]
Mark Wallace, CSX executive vice president of sales and marketing TRAINS: David Lassen JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation’s fourth quarter profits fell amid a decline in traffic and revenue, but the railroad set a new operating ratio record. For the fourth quarter, CSX’s operating income fell 8%, to $1.1 billion, on revenue of $2.9 billion, […]
A New Haven-bound CTrail train passes the former station in Wallingford, Conn., in August 2018. The commuter line carried its millionth passenger in November. TRAINS: David Lassen HARTFORD, Conn. — The CTrail Hartford Line commuter service has carried more than 1 million riders since its debut in June 2018, well ahead of original ridership projections. […]
A Brightline train speeds through a multi-lane Fort Lauderdale highway crossing in 2018. Commissioners in Indian River County, Fla., are dropping their appeal of one suit regarding the passenger train operator’s use of private activity bonds, but are still pursuing a fight over grade crossings. Bob Johnston VERO BEACH, FLA — Indian River County commissioners […]
FULL SCREEN Courtesy New England Steam Corp. Maine Central No. 470 in service on the Maine Central. FULL SCREEN Courtesy New England Steam Corp. Locomotive No. 470’s boiler being removed in Waterville in 2016. FULL SCREEN Courtesy New England Steam Corp. Locomotive No. 470 at New England Steam’s facility near Ellsworth, Maine. FULL SCREEN Courtesy […]
Patrick J. Ottensmeyer, Kansas City Southern CEO TRAINS: David Lassen KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern reported improved earnings for the fourth quarter as revenue grew despite a slight decline in traffic volume. Much of the financial improvement was due to the railroad’s shift to an operating plan based on Precision Scheduled Railroading, which […]
DENVER — Shortline holding company OmniTRAX has promoted Sergio Sabatini to president and named Gord Anutooshkin as chief operating officer, the company has announced. Sabatini, who had been chief operating officer, was with Canadian Pacific Railway for 18 years before joining OmniTRAX in 2013. Anutooshkin, who also came to OmniTRAX from Canadian Pacific, was previously […]
SANTA ROSA, Calif. — A single donor has contributed more than $500,000 to an effort to block a sales-tax extension to fund Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit service, and has indicated willingness to double that amount, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports. Molly Gallaher Flater, daughter of Sonoma County developer Bill Gallaher, is funding the effort to […]
KNAPP, Wis. — Union Pacific says a broken rail was the apparent cause of Sunday’s derailment in western Wisconsin. Thirty-five cars of a 192-car train derailed about 4 p.m., closing parallel U.S. Route 12 [see “Union Pacific train derails in western Wisconsin,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 12, 2020]. The finding is preliminary and a detailed […]
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Rail traffic is expected to remain in the doldrums for at least the first half of this year as manufacturing slows, retail inventories remain high, and there are plenty of trucks competing for freight. That’s the outlook of the forecasters at FTR Transportation Intelligence, which last week held a State of Freight […]
