News photo: Another Metra SD70MACH delivered

Blue six-axle locomotive with red-and-white striped nose

CHICAGO — Metra has taken delivery of another SD70MACH, part of an order of 15 of the remanufactured freight locomotives currently in progress for the commuter agency. No. 505, the fourth in the series to arrive in Chicago, was delivered on Thursday, May 11. This unit is slated to have positive train control equipment added […]

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Rio Grande Pacific to take over from Watco on Louisiana short line

Rio Grande Pacific logo

WASHINGTON – Shortline holding company Rio Grande Pacific will add a fifth railroad to its stable: Bogalusa & Northern Railway in Louisiana. Bogalusa & Northern will acquire trackage rights over a mile of Canadian National’s Bogalusa Subdivision in Bogalusa and Leescreek, La., according to a regulatory filing. Watco’s Bogalusa Bayou Railroad currently holds the trackage […]

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Chicago-St. Louis trains begin 110-mph running

Short passenger train with beat-up locomotive

CHICAGO — Starting today, Amtrak’s Lincoln Service trains will begin operating at 110-mph maximum speeds over Union Pacific’s former Gulf, Mobile & Ohio speedway between Laraway Road, south of Joliet, Ill., and the Alton, Ill., Amtrak station. Shortened schedules will be established at a later time “to ensure everything on the system is running properly […]

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Unifor ratifies contract with Canadian National

Logo of Canadian union Unifor

MONTREAL — Members of the Canadian union Unifor have ratified a two-year contract with Canadian National Railway, the union announced Friday. The union and railway had announced an agreement March 20. The deal covers more than 3,000 mechanical, intermodal, facility management, and clerical positions represented by Unifor’s Local 100 and Council 4000 [see “Canadian National, […]

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Forbes names Amtrak as a top employer for diversity

Amtrak logo.

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has been named one of America’s Best Employers for Diversity in 2023 according to Forbes, which released its list ranking the top 500 companies on Tuesday. The rail passenger operator placed 341st, eighth among transportation and logistics firms. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority was the only other rail-related organization to make the […]

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CN joins UP and Ferromex for new cross-border intermodal service

Intermodal train with one red and black locomotive on curve

MONTREAL — Canadian National, Union Pacific, and Ferromex will launch new intermodal service next month linking Canada and Detroit with Mexico, the railroads announced today (Monday, April 24). The Falcon Premium service will connect a dozen CN terminals with the Ferromex terminals in Monterrey and Silao via the Eagle Pass, Texas, gateway. CN and UP […]

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Patriot Rail puts a new face on Keokuk Junction operations

Side view of blue locomotive leading train with part of red and gray locomotive also visible

KEOKUK, Iowa — Patriot Rail, which acquired the Keokuk Junction Railway last year, has begun upgrading the railroad’s locomotive roster. The new owner has moved in a former CSX Transportation GP38-3, now LTEX No. 3048, and GP40-2 No. 6437, both in the Patriot Rail corporate paint scheme honoring veterans and troops. The cab sides include […]

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Miami exploring effort to expand commuter rail service

Map of rail lines in Miami area

MIAMI — Miami-Dade County officials are attempting to revive a long-dormant proposal for commuter rail service west and south of downtown using existing CSX Transportation tracks, the Miami Herald reports. The western line would run from Miami International Airport — the current terminus of Tri-Rail service north to West Palm Beach — to the Doral […]

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CPKC derailment closes major Winnipeg street (updated)

CPKC logo

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — A major Winnipeg street has been reopened after being closed by the derailment Friday of a CPKC train. Global News reports Winnipeg police announced the reopening of McPhillips Street with a Twitter post at 2:02 a.m. Saturday, after previously saying the street could be closed for several days. The CBC reported the […]

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