AKRON, Ohio — Norfolk Southern is suing chemical manufacturers and a group of railcar leasing firms over the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment and toxic-chemical release, saying those companies must share in the cleanup costs from the Feb. 3 incident. Reuters reports the railroad contends the companies are liable for a share of the costs under […]
REED POINT, Mont. — As derailment cleanup continues at the site of the Montana Rail Link Yellowstone River bridge collapse, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has reached an agreement that will allow MRL crews to operate detour trains over BNSF Railway. “Montana Rail Link continues to coordinate on alternative routes for train traffic […]
LONDON, Ontario — A two-year pilot program offering GO Transit commuter rail service between London and Toronto — hampered by its lengthy travel time — will not be renewed when the trial period ends in October, the London Free Press reports. The single round trip, which debuted in October 2018, is currently scheduled for exactly […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Port workers in British Columbia went on strike Saturday, an action with the potential for impacts on the Canadian and U.S. economies and immediate significance for three Class I Railroads. Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada’s Longshore Division walked out at 8 a.m. Saturday. The move affects about […]
CHICAGO — A federal judge has ordered a new trial for BNSF Railway on damages in a case that found the railroad violated the privacy of truck drivers by collecting their fingerprints to access intermodal facilities. That decision overturns the $228 million in damages originally awarded in the class action suit, which found BNSF had […]
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen approved a landmark agreement with Union Pacific that will provide engineers with more predictable schedules. The union’s six general chairmen reported today that 90% of the BLET divisions representing 5,600 UP engineers had voted in favor of the agreement. The agreement provides locomotive engineers in unassigned […]
MINNEAPOLIS — Railroading Heritage of Midwest America has sold one of its passenger cars to CPKC. The baggage-dormitory car, once used on trips pulled by Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261, will be used as a dormitory on steam trips this summer behind Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816. The car, which RRHMA had named Grand Canyon […]
HONOLULU — Hawaii’s new Skyline light rail system, billed by manufacturer Hitachi as the first fully autonomous metro system in the U.S., will make its debut today. It will be the first new major rail transit system to debut in the United States since 1993. The first train is slated to run at 11:30 a.m. local […]
MOORPARK, Calif. — Pacific Surfliner service will be restored north of Los Angeles today, while Metrolink operations north of Moorpark will resume this afternoon, following the suspensions as a result of Wednesday’s derailment of the Coast Starlight. The Surfliner Twitter feed says track work in Moorpark has been complete, and that while slow orders may […]
Was the Blue Streak Merchandise the last Great American Freight Train? “You define a passenger train by its cars, its menu, its route — even its patrons,” says railroad historian Fred W. Frailey in his 1991 book on the Blue Streak. “But the Blue Streak defined the railroads over which it runs — seized […]
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Railway Express has opened its new Lifecycle Overhaul and Upgrade maintenance facility, or LOU, at its Crossroads Yard in Fredericksburg. The 33,500-foot, two-track structure features a drop table for removing locomotive and railcar trucks and wheelsets; a wheel truing machine; and an overhead bridge crane with two lift points, one with […]
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has released its annual report to Congress for 2022, which outlines the board’s work during the calendar year, as well as providing an overview of its structure and mission. Board chair Jennifer Homendy, in her message accompanying the report, notes that the board issued 1,864 investigation reports during […]
