While on a recent trip to the National Model Railroad Association’s Southeast Regional Convention in Decatur, Ala., I was fortunate enough to go on a trip to Huntsville’s International Intermodal Center. Right when our van arrived in the parking lot, I knew that this would be a perfect real-world industry that anyone can model on […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department is taking Norfolk Southern to court, alleging the railroad’s delays of Amtrak’s Crescent violate federal law. The civil complaint, filed today (July 30) in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges NS regularly fails to give the Crescent preference over freight trains as required by statute, leading […]
ATLANTA – Operational improvements helped Norfolk Southern win back service-sensitive intermodal and automotive traffic while driving down costs and boosting the railroad’s profitability in the second quarter. “While our work continues, our second-quarter results represent an encouraging inflection point in our operating performance,” CEO Alan Shaw said on the railroad’s earnings call on Thursday afternoon. […]
MOBILE, Ala. — Amtrak appears to be on the verge of an agreement with the City of Mobile that finally will allow Gulf Coast passenger service to move forward. WALA-TV reports that a spokeswoman for Mayor Sandy Stimpson said the city and Amtrak had finalized language for a funding agreement for Mobile-New Orleans service and […]
Second of two parts. Part one is available here. CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. railroads are hiring to meet future freight demand after years of furloughs and cutbacks that only worsened during the pandemic. At the same time, railroads have grappled with steep declines in coal and macroeconomic conditions. Now railroads appear to be rebalancing headcount […]
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 […]
WASHINGTON — The probable cause of a grade crossing collision that killed a Norfolk Southern conductor in Cleveland last year was the crew’s failure to follow a railroad rule requiring a member of the crew to be on the ground at the private crossing, the National Transportation Safety Board said today. The conductor of NS […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration’s report on the Norfolk Southern hazardous materials derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, reached the same conclusions as the National Transportation Safety Board’s broader and more exhaustive probe. But the FRA report, released on Friday afternoon, did contain some key differences. First, the FRA did not comment on the post-derailment […]
Saturday is your chance to explore Norfolk Southern’s Natural Tunnel in Duffield, Va. Norfolk Southern and the Virginia State Parks are hosting Railroad Day July 20 at Natural Tunnel State Park. The event will touch upon local history and promote railroad safety. The park’s chairlift, which provides access to the tunnel area from above, will […]
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board on Friday released the final report on the Feb. 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern derailment and hazardous chemical release in East Palestine, Ohio — a document finalized by the June 25 meeting held by the board in East Palestine. As indicated at that meeting [see “NTSB issues 31 new […]
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 […]
Throughout their history, railroads have been under the spell of the Not Invented Here Syndrome. If a rival railroad — or, worse still, an industry outsider — found a better way to do something, railroads would heap scorn on the idea. “Why, fill-in-the-blank would never work on our railroad!” Actually, it probably would. And examples […]
