OMAHA, Neb. — New Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena shared his vision for the railroad in a letter to employees today, his first day back at the railroad. “My vision and focus are clear: Safety, Service and Operational Excellence will equal Growth. Together, we will achieve the best safety record in the industry, be known […]
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Norfolk Southern’s heritage locomotive fleet will get a refresh in the coming years, the railroad announced when it shared a video of a shiny Virginian SD70ACe No. 1069 rolling out of the paint shop at Juniata, Pa. “Drumroll pleaseeee….. the Virginian restoration is complete! It took 10 carmen 550+ hours to restore and repaint NS1069. […]
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A broken wheel is the likely cause of last week’s derailment in the Gotthard Base Tunnel, public broadcaster SRF reported Sunday, citing information from the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB). A Google translation of the SRF report says automatic equipment showed the train was “sound” as it entered the 35.5-mile tunnel from the south […]
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The Lionel Brass Hybrid Challenger is the latest offering in this program for the train maker. First announced in the 2022 Vol. 2 catalog, it’s all-new tooling. This Legacy model is based on Union Pacific’s CSA-2-class 4-6-6-4s, which were the railroad’s earlier, lighter versions. When built in 1937, they were numbered into the 3900 series […]
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STUART, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard has issued new rules for a Florida East Coast Railway drawbridge, removing a requirement to open the bridge for up to 15 minutes twice each daylight hour and striking a compromise between boating and rail traffic. The change is crucial for the planned start of Brightline passenger service […]
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WASHINGTON — In the wake of the East Palestine derailment, U.S. Class I railroads pledged to join the Federal Railroad Administration’s Confidential Close Call Reporting System, which allows employees to report near accidents and other safety violations. But the New York Times reports that five months later, the railroads have not yet done so and […]
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Rail operations in Switzerland have been disrupted by a derailment in the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world’s longest rail tunnel. The English-language Swiss news site TheLocal.ch reports the derailment involving a freight occurred about noon Thursday at the Faido multifunction station, one of two locations within the 35.5-mile-long tunnel including emergency-stop facilities and ventilation equipment. […]
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SAVANNAH, Ga. — Two Genesee & Wyoming short lines in Georgia today asked the Federal Railroad Administration to allow them to conduct a pilot program that would test Parallel Systems’ zero-emission autonomous container cars. The 211-mile Georgia Central Railway and 233-mile Heart of Georgia Railroad would like to test the battery-electric cars – which can […]
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Navajo Transitional Energy Co.’s lawsuit against BNSF Railway, which seeks damages for the railway’s alleged failure to reach coal volume commitments, must head to arbitration, a federal judge ruled this week. NTEC filed suit against BNSF in December, claiming that the railroad’s preferential treatment of other mines cost it more than $150 million in revenue […]
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FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Seminole Gulf Railway, which sustained major damage last October from Hurricane Ian, has gradually reopened its damaged right-of-way and should have operations fully restored by the end of the year, WBBH-TV reports. Six bridges were destroyed along the railroad’s route south from Arcadia, Fla., where it interchanges with CSX, through […]
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Have you read any good railroad novels lately? Me neither. Or at least I hadn’t until May, when Fred W. Frailey emailed me a nearly final draft of his first novel. Frailey needs no introduction. For more than four decades Trains Magazine readers have enjoyed his masterful reporting and writing on the railroad industry. Now […]
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WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic remained at similar levels to those established in recent weeks, with volume for the week ending Aug. 5 down 3.2% from the same week in 2022. It was the sixth time in the last seven weeks that the weekly figure has shown a decline of between 2.4 and 3.2% […]
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