Framed by the pilot of 2-8-2 1457 stopped in a side track with a northbound local freight, 4-8-2 2508 hammers south through Gillman, Ill., on the Illinois Central’s main line with a through freight in September 1954. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
CHICAGO — Key contributors seeking $251.1 million from a federal competitive grant program focused on Chicago Union Station improvements at a Thursday event to announce their involvement. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner, and Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski were among the speakers at the station’s Burlington Room, explaining […]
BETTENDORF, Iowa — Canadian Pacific has agreed to pay the city of Bettendorf $3 million to address the community’s concerns over increased traffic resulting from its planned merger with Kansas City Southern. The Quad Cities Times reports that the agreement — which is subject to Surface Transportation Board approval of the merger — was agreed […]
HOMEWOOD, Ill. — Canadian National will spend $485 million on capital projects in eight states as the U.S. portion of its capital plan for 2022, the railroad has announced. Overall, the company will spend more than C$2.6 billion on its capital program. It had previously announced almost C$2 billion in Canadian projects [see “CN announces […]
OTTUMWA, Iowa — The City of Ottumwa has agreed to purchase the city’s Amtrak depot, currently owned by the Iowa Heartland Historical Connection. The Ottumwa Courier reports that, by a 4-1 vote on Tuesday, the Ottumwa City Council agreed to purchase the building at a cost of $480,000, funds included in bond approvals earlier this […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak will restore a second day round trip of the Missouri River Runner between St. Louis and Kansas City as of Monday, July 18, reflecting additional funding by the state of Missouri. The additional round trip will see train No. 311 depart St. Louis at 8:15 a.m. and arrive in Kansas City at […]
Lawsuits continue to mount in the wake of the fatal June 27 grade crossing collision and derailment of Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, with suits filed Friday on behalf of five passengers and two Amtrak crew members. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Star reports that, while the crossing where the accident occurred was on a state list of […]
Chicago & North Western E8 5024A is just hitting the Milwaukee Road diamond on the south side of Racine, Wis., and is about to cross 17th Street. It’s accelerating toward Kenosha, Waukegan, Evanston, and the Windy City in the mid-1950s with what is probably train 160, one of two trains from Milwaukee carrying the simple […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Amtrak and BNSF Railway have filed suit against the company that owns the dump truck involved in Monday’s fatal collision and derailment of the Southwest Chief — and the widow of the truck driver has sued a BNSF employee and the county where the accident occurred. KCTV reports Amtrak and BNSF […]
EMD and GE diesels lead a Burlington Northern unit coal train past the Western Avenue commuter-train station and Union Avenue Tower, circa 1980. The train is bound for Joliet, Ill., via Illinois Central Gulf’s ex-GM&O line. Paul D. Schneider photo […]
CHICAGO — The Southwest Chief that departed Los Angeles Tuesday evening and its westbound counterpart leaving Chicago today (Thursday, June 30) are the first Chiefs to operate over the train’s full route, passing the scene of the fatal derailment in Mendon, Mo., since that accident on Monday. Monday’s westbound Southwest Chief was cancelled, and the […]
WAUKESHA, Wis. — Trains Magazine, other Kalmbach Media publications, and the Kalmbach Media offices will be closed Friday and Monday as we observe a long weekend for the Fourth of July holiday. Readers should expect less News Wire content than usual during this period. We’ll be back to our normal hours as of Tuesday, July […]
