Louisiana, Amtrak advance Baton Rouge-New Orleans rail project

Man speaking at podium with railroad office car in background

BATON ROUGE, La. — Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner joined outgoing Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday to ink a service development agreement that is the first step in launching service between Baton Rouge, the state capital, and New Orleans. After a ceremony at New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal, Gardner and Edwards, along with Amtrak […]

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NTSB report on conductor fatality calls for new rule on shoving moves

Satellite image of rail accident site

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board is calling for new rules regarding crew members riding shoving moves through grade crossings as a result of a fatal October 2021 accident in Houston, Texas. The board has recommended that crew members be prohibited from riding such moves through crossings equipped only with warning lights or passive […]

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First VIA Siemens trainsets begin serving Toronto

Champagne shattered on coupler of passenger equipment

TORONTO — After months of service limited to a handful of round-trips regularly operating between Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City, a VIA Rail Canada Venture trainset made its Toronto debut Tuesday, rolling into the company’s Toronto Maintenance Centre Tuesday after bringing passengers from Ottawa on train no. 41. The first trip was celebrated with a […]

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CN earnings fall on lower volume, but executives say traffic rebound is under way

MONTREAL — Canadian National’s third-quarter profits tumbled on lower freight volume, the railway reported today, but most business segments are bouncing back. “I believe we’ve seen the bottom on volumes,” CEO Tracy Robinson told investors and analysts on the railway’s earnings call this afternoon. CN’s third-quarter operating income sank 21%, to $1.5 billion, as revenue […]

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Colorado to fund study of Denver-Craig passenger service

Black and white photo of passenger trains meeting in snow-covered mountain area

DENVER — The Colorado Department of Transportation has announced a $5 million study to consider reviving Denver-Steamboat Springs-Craig passenger rail service, as well as coordinated and connecting bus service. Passenger service on the 191-mile Denver-Craig route ended in April 1968 with discontinuance of the Denver & Rio Grande Western’s Yampa Valley Mail, which became the […]

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Connecticut finalizes commuter rail service cuts

Train pases through station with bridge over tracks

NEWINGTON, Conn. — The Connecticut Department of Transportation has finalized its plans for commuter rail cuts and fare increases, the New Haven Register reports, with only one significant change from the DOT’s original proposals. The changes will result in a total decrease of 21 trains per week on Metro-North’s New Haven, New Canaan, and Danbury […]

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