MILAN, Italy — The Canadian government will provide C$300,000 to the International Transport Forum to help rebuilding of Ukraine’s road and rail network, Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez announced last week at a meeting of the G7 Transport Ministers. The funding, under the Clean Transportation System program, will focus on aiding greener intercity and international travel […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National last week improved its contract offer to the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which represents engineers and conductors in Canada. The railway said it offered the union better wages, more job security, and guaranteed earnings during talks held April 10-12. Both CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City have proposed abolishing the traditional […]
WASHINGTON — The AFL-CIO today became the latest organization to oppose an activist investor’s bid to gain control of Norfolk Southern. “In our view, Ancora’s business plan to reduce Norfolk Southern’s operating ratio while improving safety and service is not realistic. Railway labor unions, shippers, and federal regulators have warned that Ancora’s plans may jeopardize […]
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – CSX today debuted its first hydrogen fuel-cell locomotive, which was converted from a conventional four-axle unit using a kit supplied by Canadian Pacific Kansas City. The locomotive, GP38H2 No. 2100, was built at CSX’s Huntington Locomotive Shop in West Virginia, which is handling hydrogen fuel cell conversions under a partnership with CPKC. […]
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has named Patrick Warren as director of its Office of Railroad, Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Investigations, and selected Mike Budinski as deputy director of the NTSB Office of Research and Engineering. Warren previously was chief safety and security officer for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority for more than […]
Trains sat down with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw and new Chief Operating Officer John Orr today to discuss the railroad’s strategy and response to activist investor Ancora Holdings. Ancora has launched a proxy battle to gain control of the Norfolk Southern board, and wants to appoint former UPS executive Jim Barber Jr. as CEO […]
Jamie Boychuk, the activist investor candidate aiming to lead operations at Norfolk Southern, says improvements the railroad has made in recent weeks under new Chief Operating Officer John Orr — like increasing train velocity, reducing dwell, and removing 75 locomotives from active service — are low-hanging fruit that will help reduce the operating ratio by […]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Senate has passed legislation requiring state transportation agencies to issue annual reports detailing any recommendations by the National Transportation Safety Board and providing status reports on implementation of those recommendations. The bill, which passed by a 59-0 vote on Friday, was introduced by state Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) in response […]
SACRAMENTO — The California High-Speed Rail Authority has taken the next step in purchase of its first trainsets, with the authority’s board approving a Request for Proposals earlier this week for the first equipment that will operate on the line in the state’s Central Valley. Approval of the request means the Authority will solicit proposals […]
PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has “terminated with cause” its contract with the U.S. affiliate of Chinese railcar manufacturer CRRC for 45 bilevel commuter railcars, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The contract was awarded in 2017, and the first cars were to have been completed in 2019 [see “SEPTA awards bid for Chinese bilevel […]
WASHINGTON — A subcommittee of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee s has announced plans for a hearing next week on challenges facing the commuter rail industry. The Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee has scheduled the hearing for Wednesday, April 17, at 10 a.m. ET, chairman Troy Nehls (R-Texas) announced. The hearing will be […]
INOLA, Okla. — The Port of Inola debuted its new rail line, the 4.4-mile Verdigris Southern Railroad, this week, delivering a shipment of paper products to the port facility of tissue paper manufacturer Sofidel. KJRH-TV reports the $20 million project involved rebuilding existing infrastructure at the port, a 2,500-acre industrial park formerly belonging to the […]
