Kentucky awards $7.5 million for eight shortline rail projects

Line of people holding shovels

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Commonwealth of Kentucky is providing $7.5 million in grant funding for eight infrastructure projects on short lines, Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Thursday (Nov. 14). R.J. Corman Railroad Group, Transkentucky Transportation Railroad, and the Paducah & Louisville Railway each received funding for two projects, while the Tennken Railroad Co. and Louisville […]

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Rail carriers group announces tentative deal with SMART-MD

SMART-TD union logo

ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Carriers Conference Committee has announced a third tentative national agreement, this time with SMART-MD, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Mechanical Department. The NCCC is the negotiating unit for the National Railway Labor Conference, which represents U.S. Class I railroads and some smaller operations. It opened […]

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Regulators scold Union Pacific for lack of cooperation (updated)

Man in suit in front of U.S. flag

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has taken Union Pacific to task for an ongoing lack of cooperation in a new decision regarding an issue with the railroad’s effort to construct a 6-mile rail line in Arizona’s Maricopa and Pinal counties. The primary matter concerns UP’s request for an exemption for construction of the Pecos […]

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Harz and soul in Germany

Steam-powered train at atation

The prospect that German’s Harz Railway might end steam operations prompted me to dig out photos from a 2015 visit to the railroad as part of a Trains Magazine/Special Interest Tours trip, the thought being that readers might like to see a little more from this unique operation. Perhaps a few of you might even […]

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It’s the end of the line: Locomotives in the scrapyard

view of locomotive in scrapyard

Locomotives in the scrapyard Sitting switchers The switcher is a rapidly-dying species on American railroads. Pushed out of yard duties on the Class I railroads by demoted road units (like ex-BNSF No. 2224, at top), they soon became most noticeable on industrial sites, switching cars for grain elevators and warehouse complexes. However, the proliferation of […]

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Community withdraws from talks over Lac-Mégantic bypass

Map of Lac-Megantic Bypass

NANTES, Quebec — Officials in a community on the route of the proposed Lac-Mégantic rail bypass have withdrawn from talks with the Canadian government about the project. The CBC reports that the municipal council in Nantes — which passed a resolution opposing the bypass in January 2023 — decided at a meeting on Tuesday, Nov. […]

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Referendums on New Jersey light rail plan yield split results

Map of rail line between Camden and Glassboro, N.J.

Opponents of a proposed light rail line in South New Jersey scored one win and one loss in local referendums over a proposed 18-mile, 14-station light rail line between Glassboro and Camden. NJ.com reports 54% of voters in Glassboro indicated support for the Glassboro-Camden Line, 4,030 votes to 3,452, while those in Brooklawn were narrowly […]

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U.S. weekly rail traffic again up, thanks to intermodal

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic continued its pattern for most of 2024 in the week ending Nov. 9, with strong intermodal growth leading to an overall gain compared to 2023. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, the week saw total volume of 519,115 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.5% increase from the […]

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