OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s Federal Court of Appeals has overturned a lower-court ruling blocking Canadian National Railway’s development of a Toronto-area intermodal facility, allowing construction of the terminal to move forward. The Canadian Press reports that a three-judge panel ruled on Friday that the federal government’s decision to allow construction of the facility in Milton, […]
Read More…
COVINGTON, Va. — Approximately 25 cars of a CSX coal train derailed this early this morning near Covington, blocking two local highways as well as both tracks of the railroad’s main line along the I-64 Corridor. A CSX spokesman said the derailment occurred about 2:21 a.m. No injuries were reported, and the railroad is working […]
Read More…
DENVER — Workers for the contract operator of the Denver-area commuter rail system have voted to organize with Teamsters Local 17, the union announced Friday. Denver Transit Operators holds a 29-year contract to operate the Regional Transportation District’s commuter rail system, which operations from Denver Union Station and includes the A Line to Denver International […]
Read More…
BLUE ISLAND, Ill. — Iowa Interstate Railroad operated a Family Days passenger train from Blue Island, Ill., its Chicago-area gateway, to Mokena, Ill., on Saturday, Oct. 5 to celebrate the railroad’s 40th anniversary. Railroad President Joe Parsons was on handle to welcome families and employees past and present, and thank them for their dedication. The […]
Read More…
KEARNY, N.J. — NJ Transit has unveiled the newest member of its heritage locomotive fleet. On Saturday, Oct. 5, the agency posted a photo of GP40PH-2B No. 4208 on social media, freshly painted in Conrail blue. In posts on X.com, NJ Transit explained that Conrail was the immediate corporate predecessor to NJ Transit Rail Operations, […]
Read More…
ROCHESTER, Ind. — It was spring 2023 when Eric Thurlow received an unexpecting phone call asking him if he’d want to become part owner in an Indiana short line. At the time, Thurlow was assistant vice president of sales and marketing at Genesee & Wyoming. On the other end of the phone was Corey Tumpane, […]
Read More…
PHILADELPHIA — Amtrak broke ground Friday to mark construction of its new heavy maintenance facility at Philadelphia’s Penn Coach Yard, a $462 million project slated for completion in 2027. Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner, Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Amit Bose, and Samantha Silverberg, White House deputy assistant to the President for infrastructure, were among those on […]
Read More…
WASHINGTON — Members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation’s Railroad, Mechanical, and Engineering Department (SMART-MD) has ratified new contracts with BNSF Railway, CSX, and Norfolk Southern, the union announced. Union members voted 69% in favor of the deal at BNSF, 68% at CSX, and 62% at NS. The five-year agreements, […]
Read More…
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway’s merchandise network is now running better than it has in years due to a focus on improving terminal operations. BNSF began looking at ways to unclog its yards earlier this year, an effort that was accelerated in July after the railroad brought in veteran operations guru Ed Harris, a […]
Read More…
Let’s suppose, for the sake of argument, that the Class I railroads cannot successfully shift into growth mode. What happens then? Carload business will slowly wither away, except for the few bulk and dangerous commodities that have no other way to move. Intermodal will remain stuck in neutral, with domestic container and trailer traffic unable […]
Read More…
MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway this week published its Winter Plan or 2024-25, an annual document required by the Canadian government to address operating plans in the demanding conditions that can develop in the northern climate. Highlights of the preparations, as outlined by the railroad, include: — Air car program: CN has spent more than […]
Read More…
The strike by dockworkers that shut down East Coast ports came to an end today (Thursday, Oct. 3) when the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance announced they had come to a tentative agreement on wages and an extension of the master contract. The agreement ended the strike on its third day. […]
Read More…