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WEATHERFORD, Texas — One crew member suffered what were reported to be minor injuries after a Union Pacific train derailed after hitting a truck hauling an oversized load at a grade crossing today (Sunday, Dec. 17), the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Two engines and 17 cars of the train derailed in the incident about 9:30 […]
Electrified freight service Hauling freight in the United States is almost exclusively a diesel locomotive affair today. However, a century ago, pockets of territory existed where freight was pulled by electric locomotives. Electrification began in the late 1800s, and by the early 1900s was expanding, primarily in locations where the switch from steam locomotives to […]
PHILADELPHIA — Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority police returned to work Saturday afternoon, Dec. 16, after reaching a tentative contract agreement with the transit agency, ending a strike that began on Wednesday, Dec. 13. Members of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 109 and SEPTA’s board must still ratify the agreement; no information on the […]
CANCÚN, Mexico — Long delays and unfinished facilities marked the first day of regular operations of Mexico’s Maya Train Saturday, a day after President Andrés Manuel López Obrador inaugurated the service with a trip on the 298-mile initial segment between Campeche and Cancun. The Associated Press reports departure delays of up to 5 hours for […]
LOS ANGELES — Commuter rail operator Metrolink has offered more details on its upcoming four-day service shutdown to accommodate major track and signal work at Los Angeles Union Station, and has developed a list of transit options for riders during the rail outage set for Dec. 26-29. The work at Union Station will also affect […]
New train fleets and new long-distance overnight services are highlights of the annual European timetable change which took place Dec. 10. The growth of the night-train network — after decades of relative decline from the 1980s to around a decade ago — is largely due to the growth in demand for sustainable travel, with many […]
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Cheyenne’s newly formed Passenger Rail Commission held its first meeting Friday, with Front Range Passenger Rail District General Manager Andy Karsian offering a presentation on the efforts to launch a new passenger route in Colorado that could eventually be extended into Wyoming. Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins announced creation of the 10-member commission […]
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Graham Christie has been named as chief operating officer of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority, a new position for the agency overseeing the 20-mile rail line connecting the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to downtown LA. “Graham provides more than 30 years of highly valued experience and leadership in […]
COTTAGE GROVE, Wis. — Wisconsin agricultural and energy cooperative Alcivia has purchased 40 acres and more than 21,000 feet of track from BNSF Railway in Hager City, Wis., to build a new grain terminal, the member-owned business has announced. The facility about 20 miles southeast of Minneapolis will serve producers in west central Wisconsin and […]
Railroading tools Railroads are fixed-guideway systems for transporting goods or people. Its basis is the low friction, and hence high efficiency, of a hard wheel rolling on a hard surface. They are made up of many elements: people doing different jobs, and hardware for them to use. The jobs range from laborer to strategic planner. […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak is seeking applications for 11 scholarships it will award for full-time undergraduate and graduate students with rail interests under a series of programs, the company has announced. Applications are due by the end of Jan. 31 for scholarships including: — Women in STEM: For those pursuing an undergraduate or master’s degree majoring […]
MISSOULA, Mont. — Wildlife conservation groups have sued BNSF Railway, saying the railroad’s trains are violating the Endangered Species Act by hitting and killing grizzly bears. The lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Missoula by WildEarth Guardians and the Western Watersheds Project says 63 grizzly bears have been killed by BNSF trains in […]
