MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday that he will issue a decree requiring the nation’s freight rail operators to offer passenger service or to allow government-operated passenger trains to run on their routes. Reuters reports Lopez Obrador made the announcement at a Wednesday press conference. A clause in the concession […]
CINCINNATI — In close balloting, Cincinnati voters have approved the sale of the city-owned Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern for $1.62 billion. With 100% of precincts reporting, Issue 22 passed by a 51.6% to 48.4% margin — 43,173 votes to 40,599. City officials, led by Mayor Aftab Pureval, had favored the sale, which will […]
Intermodal analyst Larry Gross is fond of pointing out that rather than creating a truly competitive intermodal service that can attract freight from the highway, the Class I railroads have for too long relied on outside forces like truck driver shortages or high diesel fuel prices to push freight their way. The strategy — or […]
MANASSAS, Va. — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen are voting on a tentative contract for engineers who operate trains for Virginia Railway Express through contract operator Keolis Rail Service Virginia. The tentative five-year agreement, covering 11 engineers, is retroactive to 2021 and would include pay increase compounded at 22.2% over the […]
J.B. Hunt and BNSF Railway today launched faster, more reliable premium domestic intermodal service that they say will eventually convert millions of truckloads to rail. The Quantum service — which revives a name that Santa Fe and J.B. Hunt used when they began their TOFC alliance in 1989 — shaves as much as a day […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Ballard Power Systems, which has provided the fuel cell engines for CPKC’s first hydrogen-powered locomotives, announced it has received an order for another 12 engines totaling 2.4 megawatts of power. The dozen 200-kilowatt engines, to be delivered this year, will support CPKC development of additional hydrogen fuel-cell locomotives for switching and […]
LOS ANGELES — Commuter operator Metrolink and the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, which oversees Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, have expanded their codeshare program, allowing ticketholders to ride either train service between Los Angeles and Ventura. The new program, which began Monday, Nov. 6, is a pilot program currently scheduled to run through June 30, 2024. It […]
BEAR, Del. — President Joe Biden announced that 25 Northeast Corridor projects will receive a total of $16.4 billion in funding in an appearance today at Amtrak’s maintenance facility in Bear, Del., near Wilmington. The funding comes from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Pasenger Rail Program. It includes $4.7 billion for the […]
CINCINNATI — Voters in Cincinnati go to the polls this Tuesday, Nov. 7, to determine whether the city should sell its railway to Norfolk Southern, after a campaign that has seen a host of conflicting claims and endorsements. The matter, on the ballot as Issue 22, asks voters to approve the sale of the Cincinnati […]
MOBILE, Ala. — After months of waiting for completion by city of Mobile attorneys, an agreement has been sent to Amtrak for a land lease that would provide a stop for two daily passenger round-trips to New Orleans. The delay in finalizing the agreement, sent to Amtrak last week, is one factor that has pushed […]
LONG BEACH, Calif. — The Port of Long Beach has received a $52.6 million federal grant for its ongoing project to improve its Pier B railyard, which is reconfiguring the 171-acre yard to improve cargo flow, ease road congestion, and decrease air pollution. The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports officials announced the grant on Friday, Nov. […]
LOS ANGELES — LA-area commuter rail operator will shut down all service for a four-day period at the end of December to allow for installation of a new signal system and other work. The service suspension is set for Tuesday, Dec. 26, through Friday, Dec. 29, and will cover the entire seven-line, five-county system, including […]
