Norfolk Southern says that activist investor Ancora Holdings’ detailed plan for the railroad, released last week in a 193-page presentation, contains misleading operational data and vastly overstated cost-savings projections. Ancora says its proposed management team would reduce costs by $800 million through a full-blown implementation of the low-cost Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model at NS. […]
PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota’s transportation secretary has injected a note of reality into discussion of possible Amtrak service in the state. That discussion gained life in February with the inclusion of two routes serving South Dakota among the 15 in a Federal Railroad Administration report on its ongoing Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study [see […]
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The Brightline West project is about to get its official kickoff. While various surveying and other preparation work has been in progress for several months, a formal groundbreaking ceremony is set for Monday in Las Vegas at the planned site for the high-speed project’s Las Vegas station. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Brightline […]
SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, France — Alstom will sell its North American signal business to Knorr-Bremse of Germany for about €630 million, or about $671 million, the companies announced today. The sale, which Alstom describes as covering the conventional portion of its North American signaling business, is part of a plan announced in November to sell up to […]
MONTREAL —Remi G. Lalonde will become Canadian National’s executive vice-president and chief commercial officer effective April 24, succeeding Doug MacDonald, who will retire after almost 35 years. Lalonde had joined CN in January, becoming executive vice president and special advisor to the CEO while transitioning to the role he’ll assume on the 24th. He previously […]
PITTSBURGH — Wabtec will work with the Australian Rail Track Corp. to help develop interoperability of the country’s rail system, the two companies have announced. Wabtec will work to develop the interoperability standard between ARTC’s Advanced Train Management System and European Rail Traffic Management System 2, also used in Australia. “ARTC recognizes the complex challenge […]
WASHINGTON — Data analysis can help Amtrak avoid fraud in the procurement process as it deals with historic amounts of funding for infrastructure projects, Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General says in a new report. The report issued Wednesday, April 17, is a follow-up to one last year that identified procurement and contracts as one of […]
WASHINGTON — Carloads remained down but intermodal traffic continued strong, allowing weekly U.S. rail volume to remain above 2023 levels for the 12th straight week, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending April 13, total U.S. traffic was 466,463 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 1.5% over the […]
WASHINGTON — Five commuter rail leaders alerted members of Congress to long-festering issues at a hearing on Capitol Hill today (Wednesday, April 17). It is unclear if the lawmakers are prepared to champion changes suggested by witnesses during the session by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Railroads’ Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, “Commuter rail […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX reported weaker first-quarter profits today as revenue fell despite higher freight volumes. “Working together, the ONE CSX team delivered a good start to the year that was in line with our expectations,” CEO Joe Hinrichs said in a statement. “We were pleased to see our consistent customer service performance lead to […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board today closed the book on its investigation of Union Pacific’s record use of congestion-related embargoes in 2022 – but not before scolding the railroad for failing to comply with board orders and requests for information. “UP’s conduct in this regard bordered on the contumacious and cannot be viewed as […]
PITTSBURG, Kan. – Watco has made several executive leadership changes that the short line holding company says will refine its focus and simplify its mission. “This new structure will better support Watco’s focus on ensuring we have the best possible solutions for our customers and that our team is armed with the tools necessary to […]
