WASHINGTON — A House subcommittee has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday (May 6) addressing federal rail grants. The Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will hold the hearing, “America Builds: Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Rail Assistance,” at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. A link to […]
PITTSBURGH — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has reached agreement on a tentative four-year deal with Pittsburgh’s Union Railroad, the union has announced. The contract, retroactive to 2024 and running through July 2028, includes raises of 4% in 2024, 4% in 2025, 3.5% in 2026, and 3.5% in 2027. It also includes changes […]
SALT LAKE CITY — A maintenance-of-way worker for the Utah Transit Authority has died from injuries suffered on April 24 when he was struck by a vehicle while working at a grade crossing. The UTA said in a statement today (May 4, 2025) that it was “deeply saddened to share the loss of our colleague, […]
Livestock shipments and railroads had a love-hate relationship that kindled in the 1850s, blossomed after the Civil War, matured with the growth of big-city stockyards and giant meat-processing plants, then slowly faded in the 1960s and 1970s. While it lasted, livestock shipments were a major part of the railroad scene. Hammered by aging physical plants […]
STEELTON, Pa. — Steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs has announced plans to temporarily but indefinitely close its Steelton plant near Harrisburg, Pa., one of only three locations in the U.S. making railroad rails. It is one of three U.S. plants the company will close. The others are in Conshohocken, Pa., and Riverdale, Ill. WHTM-TV reports the closure will […]
BOSTON — Conductors and assistant conductors have ratified a new five-year agreement with the contract operators of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter trains. Some 92% of members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division, or 359 out of 387 who cast ballots, voted in favor of the agreement with […]
WASHINGTON — The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a hearing on nominees for Federal Railroad Administration administrator and the last remaining open seat on Amtrak’s board of directors. The hearing for FRA nominee David Fink, Amtrak nominee Robert Gleason, and two other officials — David Fogael, assistant secretary of commerce, and Pierre Gentin, general counsel […]
WASHINGTON — Details have yet to emerge regarding how much money the Trump Administration and Congress might be willing to appropriate for Amtrak in Fiscal 2026, beginning on Oct. 1, 2025. Amtrak is not mentioned in the $163 billion of “non-defense discretionary spending” budget cuts in the spending plan released today (May 2, 2025) — […]
Thirty-seven years ago, Montana businessman Dennis Washington entered into a 60-year lease with Burlington Northern for nearly 1,000 miles of ex-Northern Pacific Railway trackage and launched the Montana Rail Link. The newly created Class II regional stretched from Spokane, Wash., across southern Montana to Huntley, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it community not far from Billings, Mont. The railroad […]
Despite mounting uncertainty over tariffs, trade policy, and the economy, most major railroads held firm on their 2025 outlooks — contrasting with a wave of guidance cuts across other industries. Among the five publicly traded Class I railroads, Canadian National, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific kept their guidance intact, while Canadian Pacific Kansas City and […]
WASHINGTON — Short line holding company Regional Rail is acquiring the Minnesota Commercial Railway, which operates 86 miles of trackage around the Twin Cities. “The transaction will promote Regional Rail’s strategic and growth objectives, and help sustain MNNR’s efficiency, financial strength, and ability to meet the needs of shippers,” Regional Rail said in a regulatory […]
STOCKTON, Calif. — Stacey Mortensen, executive director of the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, will step down from her position on Aug. 31 after 27 years, the commission has announced. The commission oversees the Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail operation and manages the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, which oversees Amtrak’s San Joaquins service. “I […]
