GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The worker who died in an Aug. 4 accident on state-owned tracks in Great Barrington was operating a leaf blower on those tracks when he was struck by a maintenance-of-way machine, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary accident report issued on Thursday. The accident victim was identified in […]
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Caltrain has energized the second traction power substation for the electrification of its San Francisco-San Jose main line, another step toward the planned launch of electrified operation in fall 2024. The agency announced the substation, built by Balfour Beatty and its partners had been powered up by Pacific Gas & […]
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Amtrak is temporarily increasing the number of its trains that will cross-honor tickets for Connecticut’s Shore Line East commuter service because of Shore Line East schedule changes to accommodate an Amtrak maintenance-of-way project. Shore Line East service will be reduced during that project. The schedule changes and cross-honoring are effective Sept. […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — Union Pacific trains, as well as those on Metra’s UP West Line, were halted from passing Villa Park, Ill., this evening (Aug. 30) after suspects from a robbery a few miles away in Benseville crashed a vehicle and fled the scene near UP’s tracks on the east side of the town of […]
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. — A D&I Railroad train derailed on BNSF Railway trackage in North Sioux City today (Aug. 30), damaging a bridge and leaving derailed cars suspended over a roadway. KCAU-TV reports the derailment occurred about 4 p.m., and that BNSF confirmed the train involved belonged to D&I, the subsidiary of concrete, paving, […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — The start of Brightline service to Orlando has been further pushed back, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The passenger operator has yet to announce an official first date of service but has been selling tickets for dates in September. It is now offering refunds, upgrades to premium seats, and discounts on Avis rental […]
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Union Pacific says its investigation into the disappearance of 30 tons of a chemical from a hopper car earlier this year indicates the material was lost in transit because of a leak during the trip from Cheyenne to California, KGWN-TV reports. The hopper loaded with ammonium nitrate — used as a fertilizer […]
As the railroad industry searches for ways to reduce and ultimately eliminate its greenhouse gas emissions, Wabtec sees hydrogen as the locomotive fuel of the future, whether it’s burned in internal combustion engines or used to power fuel cells. “We think this is going to be an impactful technology. We’re not seeing this as a […]
STUART, Fla. — Additional time has been added for rehabilitation work on the St. Lucie River Drawbridge in Stuart, Brightline and Florida East Coast Railway have announced. While intermittent closures were scheduled to continue today (Wednesday, Aug. 30) and Thursday, Aug. 31, an additional extended full closure has now been added on Thursday from 5:30 […]
EL PASO, Texas — Approximately 13 cars of grain derailed on a Union Pacific train in central El Paso this afternoon, closing an exit of Interstate 10, KFOX-TV reports. Three of the cars overturned, spilling a load reported to be soybean meal. No injuries are reported and no hazardous materials are involved, El Paso Fire […]
WASHINGTON — A National Transportation Safety Board report on the Aug. 6 accident that claimed the life of a CSX Transportation conductor trainee in Cumberland, Md., found that there was only 7 inches of clearance between the well car the trainee was riding and a locomotive parked on an adjacent track. “The conductor trainee was […]
New Genesee & Wyoming shortline Berkshire & Eastern will begin operating New England regional Pan Am Southern on Sept. 1. Berkshire & Eastern’s startup date has been pushed back several times due to delays in obtaining the necessary labor agreements. But a G&W spokesman today confirmed that the railroad will begin operations on Friday, replacing […]
