CHARLESTON, S.C. — Palmetto Railways will work with Innovative Rail Technologies to convert two of its diesel switchers to battery-electric power, the railroad announced this week. Palmetto, a division of the South Carolina Department of Commerce, received a $4.17 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, or CRISI, grant for the project in September [see […]
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Transportation Committee of the Kentucky House heard testimony Tuesday on a bill requiring two-person crews for freight trains in the state, reviving legislation that has previously failed to advance. HB 33 is sponsored by seven legislators including Reps. Kevin Bratcher (R-Louisville), whose biography includes involvement with the Kentucky Railway Museum among […]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Less than two weeks after the Nebraska legislature killed a bill to require two-person train crews, a legislative committee has heard testimony on another rail regulation bill, this one including limits on train length. The unicameral legislature’s Transportation and Telecommunications Committee on Tuesday heard testimony on LB1212, introduced by Sen. Lynne Walz […]
SACRAMENTO — A California state senator is introducing a bill to address projects to prevent interruptions to passenger rail service on the LOSSAN Rail Corridor between San Luis Obispo and San Diego, such as the current slide near San Clemente, Calif., that has disrupted Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink commuter rail service. The San Diego […]
WASHINGTON — Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin Oberman was so disappointed in the lack of information provided at Wednesday’s board hearing into the status of Amtrak Gulf Coast service that he ordered the parties to come back in 30 days with a detailed report to address the board’s unanswered questions. “I’ve negotiated a lot of […]
PORT CLINTON, Pa. — Tickets will go on sale today (Feb. 15) at 9 a.m. ET for Reading & Northern Railroad’s three summer 2024 Iron Horse Rambles excursions featuring T-1 class 4-8-4 No. 2102. Two of the excursions will feature new destinations for the former Reading Co. locomotive, while the other will once again see […]
HARTFORD, Conn. — Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year would restore full funding for Metro-North’s New Haven Line commuter operations, the news site CT Insider reports. The budget proposal released last week includes $284 million for rail operations, an increase of approximately 22% over the current fiscal year, which saw cuts to […]
WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration, reacting to the Feb. 1 accident in Alabama that claimed the life of a Norfolk Southern engineer, today issued a safety bulletin advising railroads to ensure that rolling equipment is properly secured at all times. The bulletin did not specifically mention NS, but the specifics match those of an […]
DENVER — Amtrak and BNSF Railway have sued the driver of a semi-truck of milk, as well as the truck’s owner, over the Jan. 29 grade-crossing collision that derailed the eastbound California Zephyr near Keenesburg, Colo. The suit, filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, says Dairy Farmers of […]
WASHINGTON — In the latest step in its ongoing investigation into on-time performance for Amtrak’s Sunset Limited, the Surface Transportation Board has asked the passenger operator and the train’s host railroads to answer a series of detailed questions on delays encountered during specific runs by the train and other operational details along the train’s route. […]
Crossties Back in 1830, track structure was different from today: stone blocks supported wood stringers (or rails) surfaced with strap iron. During the harsh winter of 1832, shipments of stone blocks to the Camden & Amboy Railroad in New Jersey were curtailed. John L. Stevens, president and chief engineer of the railroad, ordered the substitution […]
MAGNOLIA, W.Va. — A Monday afternoon CSX derailment in a remote area of West Virginia has disrupted operations of Amtrak’s Capitol Limited. The Monday derailment in Morgan County, W.Va., near the community of Magnolia, involved nine cars, four of which were carrying sodium hydroxide, a corrosive material that can cause severe skin burns and eye […]
