Colorado’s San Luis Central shut down by washout

Collapsed irrigation canal

MONTE VISTA, Colo. — Short line San Luis Central Railroad embargoed its entire 13-mile line May 28 after its crossing of the Empire Irrigation Canal, one mile north of Monte Vista, collapsed. According to local farmers, the crossing, a series of culverts surrounded by cement walls, had been seeping water between the pipes for a […]

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Pinsly short lines join EPA’s SmartWay program

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two of Pinsly Railroad Co. short lines – Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad and the Grenada Railroad – have joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership. Developed by the EPA, SmartWay is a collaborative framework involving industry stakeholders and environmental groups to track and reduce emissions and fuel use in […]

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BNSF train moving molten sulfur derails in Washington state

BNSF Railway logo

CUSTER, Wash. — No injuries were reported and no spills resulted after a BNSF train transporting molten sulfur derailed late Tuesday night, the Bellingham Herald reports. The derailment occurred about 10:45 p.m. near Custer, 14 miles north of Bellingham, Wash., on BNSF’s Bellingham Subdivision, and about 100 miles north of Seattle. Six cars derailed. The […]

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U.S. rail traffic shows modest gain in May

Green and yellow locomotive leading freight train

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was up 1% in May over the same month in 2023, the fourth straight month of modest gains over the previous year, according to the Association of American Railroads. Traffic for the week ending June 1 was also up over the same week a year earlier. May volume included a […]

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Watco welcomes new Oklahoma short line into its stable

Watco logo, new version as of 2022

Watco recently began operating its 46th short line, the 3-mile Verdigris Southern Railroad (VESO) that serves the Port of Inola in Oklahoma. VESO serves one customer at the inland port, paper products company Sofidel America. Sofidel’s paper mill received its first seven boxcars of compressed wood pulp in mid-April, Watco reports in its June newsletter. […]

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Norfolk Southern’s Loeb discusses railroad’s growth strategy at ‘Future of Supply Chain’ event (updated)

Man gesturing while speaking

ATLANTA — After the turmoil of Norfolk Southern’s proxy fight against an activist investor last month, the railroad’s Stefan Loeb says the shareholders’ vote showed confidence in management’s strategy. While board chair Amy Miles lost her position, Norfolk Southern’s management mainly prevailed in the vote to retain control of the Class 1 railroad, with Ancora […]

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