ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Virginia Railway Express will begin a search for a new chief operating officer after announcing today that the VRE Operations Board and current CEO Doug Allen “have agreed to part ways.” Allen became VRE’s CEO in September 2012 after stints at Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Capital Metro in Austin, Texas. “Doug […]
A Coaster commuter train negotiates Miramar Hill on its way north from San Diego to Oceanside. Coaster and Amtrak service between Oceanside and San Diego will be shut down this weekend for track work. TRAINS: David Lassen SAN DIEGO — Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and Coaster commuter train service will not operate this weekend and next […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has taken another step to wring more capacity out of its existing intermodal network: This week it launched a day of the week pricing system that aims to smooth peaks and valleys in volume. Currently half of the railroad’s intermodal loads are delivered to terminals between noon on Wednesday […]
HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont wants to reduce Metro-North travel times to and from New York by up to 15 minutes, part of a $5 billion plan to upgrade commuter rail service in the state, the Hartford Courant reports. The commuter-rail plan is part of a larger transportation package, yet to be unveiled, […]
Canadian Pacific has announced the 2019 schedule for its U.S. and Canada Holiday Trains. The 2017 train is shown in Pleasant Prairie, Wis. TRAINS: David Lassen CALGARY, Alberta — Menards, N.Y.; Caledonia, Wis.; and Ossian, Iowa, will be new stops this year for the Canadian Pacific Holiday train, which announced its 2019 schedule and performers […]
CHICAGO — Metra is testing a new security screening system at several downtown Chicago stations this week, the Chicago Tribune reports. The heat scanner, on loan from the Transportation Security Adminstration, is being used today (Thursday, Oct. 17) at the Ogilvie Transportation Center after tests Tuesday and Wednesday at two Metra Electric stations, Millennium and […]
Norfolk Southern website As Norfolk Southern crews work round-the-clock, the railroad estimates a mid-November re-opening of a bridge between Kansas City and Moberly, Mo., destroyed October 1 by flood and debris on the Grand River near Brunswick, Mo. As an alternate route, the Surface Transportation Board on Friday granted NS trackage rights on a parallel […]
NJ Transit ALP-45DP 4508 leads an inbound Montclair-Boonton Line train at Montclair State University. Positive train control testing on this line and the Morris and Essex Line will be delayed because of PTC software issues. Ralph Spielman NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit’s challenges in implementing positive train controls have hit another snag, pushing back planned […]
SEATTLE — Sound Transit’s two light-rail systems are getting new names. Presently, the Seattle regional transit agency operates a 22-mile north-south line from the University of Washington through downtown to Angle Lake, south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. It also operates a 1.6-mile light-rail line in Tacoma, from Freighthouse Square to downtown. But Sound Transit is […]
Tail-gating vehicles are stacked up on a rural Iron County, Utah, dirt road paralleling the Union Pacific’s main line. A medical helicopter prepares to lift off with the most seriously-injured. A total of six drivers and 10 passengers were involved. Iron County (Utah) Sheriff’s Department “What steam locomotive?” That was the initial response when Trains […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific today confirmed that it has stopped humping cars at Neff Yard in Kansas City, Mo. Neff is the fourth hump UP has idled amid its shift to Precision Scheduled Railroading. The humps at Proviso Yard in Chicago, Hinkle Yard in Oregon, and Pine Bluff Yard in Arkansas were previously mothballed […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific revenue and profits declined in the third quarter as the railroad’s efficiency gains and cost-cutting were not enough to offset an 8% decline in traffic volume. Operating income declined 2%, to $2.2 billion, as revenue sank 7%, to $5.5 billion. Net income also fell 2%, to $1.5 billion. Earnings per […]
