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WINONA, Minn. — The first westbound trip of Amtrak’s new Borealis wasn’t flawless. A “technical problem” with a credit card reader delayed the café car’s opening. A pesky lock on the platform wheelchair lift’s enclosure at the Sturtevant, Wis., stop contributed to delay, as did the decision to open only one vestibule trap at downtown […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — It was 43 years in the making, but the Chicago-Twin Cities corridor finally has a second Amtrak passenger train. In ceremonies in Chicago, St. Paul and intermediate points today, Amtrak and state, local, and federal official marked the first run of the Borealis, new daily service between Chicago Union Station and […]
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway has asked federal regulators to dismiss a common-carrier complaint that a Missouri-based utility has filed regarding the railroad’s service to a pair of its coal-fired power plants in 2022. Kansas City-based Evergy told the Surface Transportation Board that BNSF provided inadequate service to its Iatan Generating Station near Iatan, Mo., and […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — North American Rail Solutions subsidiary American Track has acquired Strategic Rail, LLC, of Tomahawk, Wis. The combined companies will continue as American Track. Strategic Rail, established in 2005 by Dianna and Travis Gustafson, provides services including grapple truck operations, material handling, railcar movement, and vegetation control. Its strength in the Great […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration today announced final rules that will require railroads to develop certification and training programs for train dispatchers and signal employees. Unlike with conductors and locomotive engineers, there previously have been no federal regulations mandating specific training requirements, safety and knowledge checks, and verification of safety records for dispatchers and […]
Well, I put a bee in Jim Vena’s bonnet when I wrote that railroads should thank the Federal Railroad Administration for its new two-person train crew rule. The thrust of that column last month: Service would suffer if the Class I railroads were to go to engineer-only operation because of delays related to having ground-based […]
KARRATHA, Western Australia — Rio Tinto has fully reopened its mining railroad in Western Australia’s Pilbara region after the collision last week involving two autonomous trains, with the Australian Financial Review reporting the mining company has suspended a procedure known as “on-site override” while investigation into the incident continues. One line of the two-track main […]
WASHINGTON — Beginning June 1, Amtrak plans to restore a dining car to the New York-New Orleans Crescent. However, initially only sleeping car passengers will be allowed to use it, and the food served will continue to be reheated “flexible” meals. As reported in the Rail Passengers Association’s weekly Hotline email, Amtrak senior leadership confirmed […]
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada will retire its British-built Renaissance equipment from Quebec City-Windsor, Ontario, corridor service on Sunday, May 26, the passenger operator has confirmed. The last train to use the Renaissance cars will be Ottawa-bound train No. 37, departing Quebec City at 12:32 p.m. When the train arrives in Montreal at 3:54 p.m., […]
CHICAGO — Metra has launched a rider survey to help shape its future scheduling and infrastructure plans to meet its goal of becoming a “regional rail” operation — one providing more service at all times rather than focusing on weekday commuter-rush trains. The commuter operator has already taken some steps to increase off-peak service, such […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — Amtrak and Canadian National Railway have reached agreement on track maintenance in Canada to avoid a repeat of the issues that sidelined Adirondack service last summer, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) announced today (Friday, May 17). Trackwork on the CN portion of the Adirondack route in Canada will be performed during the […]
DURANGO, Colo. — Join the editors of Trains Magazine this year aboard a private steam-powered two-day charter Oct. 18 and 19, on Colorado’s Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The train will operate from Silverton to Durango the first day, with multiple photo stops en route. The train will overnight in Silverton, then return to […]
