MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Winchester & Western, the 100-mile short line with trackage in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey, was able to grow last year despite the pandemic. Traffic on the railroad, which short line holding company OmniTRAX acquired in September 2019, was up a shade over 9% last year. That was below railroad […]
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News Photo: Amtrak anniversary engine
P42DC No. 46 leads the westbound Capitol Limited out of Toledo on Jan. 21, displaying markings commemorating Amtrak’s 50th anniversary, which arrives in May. The locomotive was reportedly going to lead an Inauguration special for Joe Biden, the 46th president, but that was cancelled for security reasons following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. This edition […]
CN sees return to growth in 2021, with grain and intermodal leading the way
MONTREAL — After increasing momentum in the fourth quarter, Canadian National today expressed optimism for volume recovery in 2021 as intermodal, grain, and some carload segments are seeing strong growth. CN expects volume to grow by around 5% in 2021 amid record Canadian grain tonnage, demand for lumber and propane, and international and domestic intermodal gains […]
Digest: OmniTRAX names Piacente as new CEO
More Tuesday morning rail news: OmniTRAX names Piacente as new CEO Short line and transportation company OmniTRAX has named Dean Piacente as its new CEO, effective Feb. 1. Piacente has more than 20 years’ experience as a commercial executive at CSX Transportation, and brings more than 30 years of financial planning, analysis, and expertise in […]
Latest filings with STB show significant differences remain in Amtrak, Metra dispute
WASHINGTON — Amtrak and Metra have filed briefs with the Surface Transportation Board on the remaining issues in their long-running dispute over Metra’s lease at Amtrak-owned Chicago Union Station, with Amtrak asking the board to decide the remaining areas of disagreement so appropriate compensation can be decided, while Metra suggests the disagreements can still be […]
Digest: South Shore to lease gallery cars from Metra
Tuesday morning rail news: South Shore to lease cars from Metra to handle planned service increase The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District will lease 26 bilevel gallery cars from Metra to handle the increased South Shore Line commuter service planned under the Double Track and West Lake Corridor expansion projects. The Times of Northwest Indiana […]
Remembering New York Central freight trains
All through January 2021, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the New York Central Railroad. This week, feast your eyes on freight trains, in black-and-white, and color, from deep in Appalachia, to Manhattan’s High Line. See what we’ve unearthed from the David P. Morgan Library on this great railroad. Only from Classic Trains! […]
Oberman named as STB chairman (corrected)
President Joe Biden has designated Martin Oberman as chairman of the Surface Transportation Board. Oberman, who joined the board in January 2019, is current serving his first five-year term on the board, which is slated to expire Dec. 31, 2023. A former Chicago city council alderman, he was chairman of Metra’s board from 2014 to […]
New Siemens ‘Venture’ cars test in Michigan
NILES, Mich. – The new Siemens Venture cars for Amtrak Midwest service made their first test run on Monday, operating from Chicago to Pontiac, Mich., on the schedule of Wolverine Service train No. 350, suspended since March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trainset, with four of the new coaches separated by former heritage sleeper […]
NJ Transit CEO discusses agency’s turnaround (corrected)
NEWARK, N.J. — “It’s NJ Transit’s 3rd summer of hell,” read an August 2019 headline on NJ.com, a New Jersey local news website. For years, commuters endured overcrowded trains, late trains, canceled trains, and creaky 40-year-old Arrow III electric multiple-unit cars. Frustration reached a boiling point, with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy feeling the heat. […]
Digest: New agreement allows BNSF Bismarck bridge project to move forward
Still more Monday morning rail news: New agreement allows BNSF Bismarck bridge project to move forward without final decision on current bridge BNSF Railway’s long-running effort to replace its 138-year-old Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge over the Missouri River can continue to move forward after a new agreement between the railroad, the U.S. Coast Guard, and […]
Digest: Metra to add trains to Rock Island schedule on Feb. 1
Monday morning rail news: Metra to add trains on Rock Island line Metra is introducing a new schedule on its Rock Island District as of Monday, Feb. 1, including new morning and evening rush-hour trains, new express service, and additional midday trains. Other trains have been renumbered or had schedule adjustments. Among the additions […]