First of two parts. CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Navigating macroeconomic headwinds and steep declines in coal, three of the big four U.S. railroads now employ more engineers and conductors than they did a year ago, but headcount is still mostly below pre-pandemic 2019. Railroads are =using new hires to improve service performance and grow future business […]
BENNET, Neb. — BNSF Railway Police believe a 17-year-old Nebraska boy intentionally caused a derailment earlier this year, recording it and posting it on line. The Lincoln Journal Star reports the BNSF police have referred the boy to the Lancaster County Attorney’s Office for prosecution of felony criminal mischief as a result of the April […]
BNSF has reopened the main lines involved in both its derailments on Saturday, July 20, the railroad reports. The first of those incidents occurred about 12:45 a.m. near Ottawa, Kan., on the railroad’s Emporia Subdivision [see “BNSF deals with two derailments,” Trains News Wire, July 20, 2024]. One main line there was reopened at 8:30 […]
BNSF Railway is working to clean up a pair of derailments that occurred early today (Saturday, July 20). No injuries or hazardous materials situations resulted from either. The first was reported at approximately 12:46 a.m. near Ottawa, Kan., on BNSF’s Emporia Subdivision, blocking both main tracks. The only cargo spilled was a large amount of […]
LOWELL, Ark. — The Quantum premium intermodal service that J.B. Hunt and BNSF Railway launched last year is not growing as quickly as hoped in a slumping freight market, but on-time performance has topped expectations, J.B. Hunt executives said on the company’s earnings call this week. Quantum takes aim at highly service-sensitive freight that has […]
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators are summoning executives from the six Class I freight railroads to a rare public hearing to explain how their companies plan to invest in and grow their business amid concern over recent negative volume trends. In a notice published today (Friday, July 12), the Surface Transportation Board said it also welcomes […]
WOODWARD, Okla. — Eighteen cars of a BNSF train derailed Thursday, July 11, in downtown Woodward, briefly leading to an evacuation order until it was determined the contents of the train posed no public safety hazard. KOCO-TV reports BNSF said in a statement that the derailment occurred about 5:30 p.m. and the cars involved carried […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has postponed the start of a plan by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific to contract out dispatching of Southern California’s Alameda Corridor. In a decision announced Thursday, the board postponed the move — which was to be effective today (Friday, July 12) — “to provide sufficient time for evaluation […]
Class I railroads’ volume trends in the second quarter varied considerably, with Norfolk Southern traffic up 5.1% and Canadian Pacific Kansas City down 4.2%, according to the railroads’ Association of American Railroads carload reports. Norfolk Southern’s volume was boosted by 8.2% year-over-year growth in intermodal traffic. Its carload volume, less coal, was up 1.7%. Coal […]
Union Pacific and BNSF Railway shut down their operations in the Houston area Sunday in preparation for Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall today (Monday, July 8) as a Category 1 storm. Beryl, which was downgraded to a tropical storm this morning, came ashore at Matagorda, Texas, about 90 miles southwest of Houston. Beryl is expected […]
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. — BNSF Railway says it has not determined a timeline for replacing the bridge between North Sioux City and Sioux City, Iowa, that collapsed June 23 as a result of flooding, and continues to re-route traffic through Creston, Iowa. KTIV-TV reports that railroad spokeswoman Kendall Sloan said the railroad is coordinating […]
The ScaleTrains HO Rivet Counter Trinity reefer recently arrived at the Model Railroader offices. Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he provides a brief history of the full-size BNSF Ry. cars, points out the various details on the contemporary freight car, and demonstrates how the sound and light functions work. Then see two of the […]
