Customs officials release car shells; CRRC to resume production in Massachusetts

MBTA Orange Line train arrives at station

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Car shells seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for almost a year have been released, the Massachusetts affiliate of Chinese rail manufacturer CRRC announced on Wednesday, March 18. That will allow the company to recall workers laid off earlier this week. In a statement to public broadcaster WAMC, CRRC MA said […]

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Union Pacific intermodal train derails in California desert

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

MECCA, Calif. — About 20 cars of a Union Pacific intermodal train derailed Wednesday in the Coachella Valley community of Mecca on Wednesday afternoon, closing a state highway and the railroad’s Sunset Route. Cal Fire said on social media that emergency crews responded to the incident at 5:06 p.m. No injuries were reported. A hazardous […]

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CPKC ‘makes its own luck’ with Mexico-Canada growth, new CSX service

Stack train in snow

WASHINGTON — Canadian Pacific Kansas City CEO Keith Creel says his railway is making its own luck at a time when trade tensions, economic uncertainty, and plenty of truck capacity are roadblocks to volume growth. “We create solutions instead of excuses,” Creel told an investor conference on Wednesday. Among them: Boosting traffic between Canada and […]

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Regulators ask for more information on UP-NS merger

Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific locomotives

WASHINGTON — While Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern prepare to file a revised merger application in late April, federal regulators are requesting specific data related to their proposal to create the first U.S. transcontinental railroad. The request for documents to be submitted prior to the revised application likely could include highly sensitive data related to […]

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Metra donates F40C to Railroading Heritage of Midwest America

Commuter train with C-C diesel locomotive

SILVIS, Ill. —Chicago commuter railroad Metra is donating one of the two remaining historic F40C commuter locomotives to Railroading Heritage of Midwest America. Built in 1974, Metra No. 611 spent its entire service life hauling commuter trains on Milwaukee Road lines west and northwest of Chicago Union Station. It is currently in transit from Chicago […]

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ScaleTrains HO EMD SD7 review

Color photo showing short hood and engineer's side of cab on an EMD six-axle hood unit painted orange, green, and yellow with black trucks, sill, and pilot on white background.

An Electro-Motive Division SD7 is one of the latest additions to the ScaleTrains Rivet Counter line. The HO scale model, based on a prototype from the early 1950s, features injection-molded plastic and die-cast metal construction; factory-applied, prototype-specific details; and metal semi-scale Type E couplers painted a rusty color. Prototype history Electro-Motive Division produced the SD7 […]

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U.S. weekly rail traffic stays ahead of 2025 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — Carload, intermodal and overall U.S. rail traffic remained narrowly ahead of 2025 levels in the week ending March 14, 2026, according to the Association of American Railroads. AAR figures show total traffic for the week was 508,737 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.1% increase over the same week a year ago. The 228,299 […]

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FRA: Installation of shunt-enhancing antennas for passenger trains not imminent

Going-away shot of passenger train with bilevel cars, with Chicago skyline in distance

WASHINGTON — Devices that ensure a passenger train always activates signal and highway warning devices — regardless of track conditions or a train’s car type, speed, or length — will be installed on some Amtrak trains “this calendar year,” according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Responding to a Trains information request, the FRA said the […]

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CN train backed into Amtrak’s City of New Orleans twice, NTSB says

Diagram of switching moves leading to collision between freight and passenger trains

WASHINGTON — A Canadian National train making a shove move backed into Amtrak’s City of New Orleans, then backed up and hit the passenger train a second time, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report on the Feb. 22, 2026, collision near Memphis. The incident at about 11 a.m. led to minor […]

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Ethanol tank cars involved in UP derailment in Houston suburb

RICHMOND, Texas — Twenty-three cars of a Union Pacific train derailed today (March 18) in the Houston suburb of Richmond. No evacuation has been ordered, although officials say leaks have been detected from two cars carrying ethanol. “Both leaks are contained,” Fort Bend County Fire Marshal Justin York said in a press conference carried by […]

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FTA targets Illinois Department of Transportation in directive, investigation regarding CTA rail system

Rapid-transit train crossing street

WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has issued a Special Directive requiring the Illinois Department of Transportation to take 11 actions to improve its oversight of the Chicago Transit Authority. The FTA also has launched a Safety Management Inspection of IDOT. The directive issued Tuesday says that the FTA has determined IDOT’s State Safety Oversight […]

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Norfolk Southern: Rising energy costs are a double-edged sword for freight traffic

WASHINGTON — The spike in energy prices since the start of the Iran conflict could be a blessing or a curse, Norfolk Southern executives say. It’s clear that the dramatic increase in fuel prices will increase the railroad’s first-quarter costs by $20 million to $30 million — and that the NS fuel surcharge program will […]

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