SEATTLE — The Seattle Department of Transportation said Monday it is cancelling a contract to buy new streetcars for the proposed Center City Connector line, but it still plans to go ahead with construction of the line through downtown. In an announcement on its website, SDOT said it had informed manufacturer CAF USA that it […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
UP says broken rail caused Portland derailment NEWSWIRE
PORTLAND — Union Pacific has identified a broken rail as the cause of a Saturday derailment that damaged a heavily-used bridge that is the only public route into an industrial area, KPTV-12 reports. Two locomotives and three cars derailed in the Saturday incident, hitting supports for the North Going Street bridge. [See “Union Pacific derailment […]
World’s oldest, largest cable car returns to the hills of San Francisco NEWSWIRE
No. 19 on a Sept. 8 test run. San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency SAN FRANCISCO – The world’s oldest and largest operating cable car entered revenue service for the first time in 77 years this past weekend in San Francisco. Sacramento-Clay Line cable car No. 19 – also known as “Big 19” – ran on […]
Ask Trains: How do railroads determine which freight cars need repair before continuing their journeys?
A portion of the cameras and sensors aimed at freight trains to detect freight car problems at the Transportation Technology Center near Pueblo, Colo. These sensors help comprise the most modern methods of freight car inspection. Trains staff Q: How do railroads determine which freight cars need repair before continuing their journeys? — Robert Rose, […]
Ask Trains: What is this freight load?
A photo of a big boxy freight load, likely a wind turbine nacelle. Submitted by Mark Faust Q: Saw a whole CSX Transportation train of these in Sullivan, Ind. What are they? — Mark Faust, Carmel, Ind. A: The photo you submitted resembles a wind turbine gearbox nacelle, and is probably what the train was […]
CN reaches intermodal deals with two Chinese shipping companies NEWSWIRE
MONTREAL — Canadian National has announced ongoing intermodal relationships with two ocean carriers, Evergreen Line and COSCO Shipping. CN and Evergreen’s new intermodal agreement extends a 27-year relationship between the companies and includes Evergreen’s usage of such CN-served ports as Vancouver, Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. COSCO has chosen CN as its […]
Federal Railroad Administration publishes PTC updates for the second quarter NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration today provided a quarterly status update on railroads’ progress in fully implementing positive train control systems. Based on railroads’ second quarter 2019 PTC Progress Reports which were due to FRA by July 31, 2019, the 42 railroads subject to the statutory PTC mandate are making steady progress. “FRA is […]
FRA report suggests Pittsburgh derailment could have been avoided NEWSWIRE
The August 2018 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in Pittsburgh caused major damage to a light rail line. A new Federal Railroad Administration report found “significant oversights” by an inspection-service operator played a role in the derailment. Port Authority of Allegheny County Twitter account PITTSBURGH — A broken rail which led to a 2018 […]
Hearing calls for preservation of commuter rail service into West Virginia NEWSWIRE
CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — An overflow crowd turned out at a Saturday hearing to call for preserving MARC commuter train service into West Virginia, which faces a significant reduction because funding from West Virginia that short of what the Maryland Department of Transportation says is required. The Martinsburg (W.Va.) Journal reports that the crowd filled […]
JB Hunt executive: PSR remains a ‘mixed bag’ NEWSWIRE
BOSTON — Precision Scheduled Railroad remains a “mixed bag” for trucking giant and intermodal pioneer J.B. Hunt, according to Darren Field, the company’s executive vice president for intermodal. “I’m a supporter of PSR as long as we can continue to communicate well with those railroads implementing that plan,” Field told attendees at the recent Cowan […]
Progress Rail SD70ACe-T4 lease fleet locomotives emerge NEWSWIRE
Dale Gauwitz CHICAGO – The first SD70ACe-T4 locomotives from a planned Tier 4 lease fleet have emerged from Progress Rail’s Muncie, Ind., plant. EMDX No. 7204 was spotted in the Chicago area recently, painted in a new yellow, white and black scheme with Progress Rail and EMD logos and lettering. This locomotive is moving to […]
Proposed ban on Chinese railcars gets White House support NEWSWIRE
Chinese manufacturer CRRC displays models of its various types of rail equipment at InnoTrans in 2016. The White House says it supports a ban on purchases of transit equipment by Chinese manufacturers. TRAINS: David Lassen WASHINGTON — Bipartisan legislation that would prohibit the use of federal funds to buy transit vehicles from state-owned Chinese manufacturers […]
