NTSB releases preliminary report on UP fatality in Texas

Diagram and aerial photo of fatal sideswipe accident at rail yard.

WASHINGTON — A conductor who made an incorrect cut during switching, fouling a main track, was killed when a car he was riding on sideswiped the car fouling the main during a subsequent move, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report on a fatal accident that occurred June 9, 2025, at Union […]

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Premiers of Alberta, Ontario call for construction of rail routes, pipelines for natural-resource development

Two people posing with government documents

CALGARY, Alberta — The premiers of Alberta and Ontario have signed agreements to pursue construction of more rail lines and pipelines to tap into natural resources including Alberta oil and Ontario’s “Ring of Fire” mineral region. At a Monday press conference in Calgary, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ontario’s Doug Ford announced the signing of […]

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Burlington Junction Railway marks 40th anniversary

BJRYMK1500D

BURLINGTON, Iowa — Burlington Junction Railway welcomed more than 100 employees and family members to a recent event in Burlington to mark the 40th anniversary of the founding of the short line in 1985. The railroad began when Steve and JoEllen Hoth of Burlington began with a single locomotive, 3 miles of track, and three […]

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STB backs CPKC in grain export dispute with Union Pacific

Grain train led by red locomotive

WASHINGTON — Canadian Pacific Kansas City can send Midwestern grain to export at the ports of Houston and Galveston via haulage rights over Union Pacific south of Beaumont, Texas, the Surface Transportation Board said today. Union Pacific in 2023 had sought to block CPKC’s use of Kansas City Southern’s so-called South End haulage rights, which […]

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CPKC takes second-quarter volume crown

Single locomotive in CPKC paint scheme crossing bridge

Canadian Pacific Kansas City was the fastest-growing railroad in the second quarter, with its overall volume up 6%. CPKC’s industry-leading growth was due to double-digit increases in intermodal (14%), grain (16%), and coal (10%). Union Pacific ranked No. 2 for the quarter, with its volume up 4% overall, led by a 31% increase in coal […]

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Wabtec to acquire Frauscher, maker of digital rail detection products

PITTSBURGH — Wabtec will further expand its digital rail inspection and detection business, announcing today (July 7, 2025) that it will acquire Austrian-based Frauscher Sensor Technology Group for €675 million ($792 million). The acquisition of Frauscher — an international supplier of rail detection, wayside object control, and axle-counting products — comes just days after Wabtec […]

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European passenger trains can dazzle or disappoint: Analysis

Every time an acquaintance or travel writer returns from Europe and sets foot on American soil, you’ll hear the same refrain: “Oh, if only we had passenger trains like that.” What they mean, of course, is that Amtrak cannot possibly compare. Not on frequency, not on speed, not on equipment, not on stations, not on […]

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