STB approves 30-day emergency operation of Oklahoma short line

Portion of Oklahoma railroad map showing Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board on Friday approved an emergency request to allow short line company Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad to provide service for 30 days on the line formerly operated by the Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad, shut down in February by the Federal Railroad Administration for safety reasons. The State of […]

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Coach passengers now can buy meals in Silver Star and Silver Meteor dining cars

Amtrak dining car with one person dining at one table

WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s New York-Miami trains will begin offering “traditional dining” to “a limited number of coach customers” starting today (Monday, March 4), according to spokeswoman Kimberly Woods. The company dropped meal-in-a-bowl “flexible dining” last March on the Silver Star and last June on the Silver Meteor [see “Amtrak returns ‘traditional dining’ …,” Trains News […]

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Virginia two-person crew bill goes to governor

Seal with woman standing on top of man

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia legislation requiring two-person crews for freight trains in the state has passed the legislature and been sent to Gov. Glenn Youngkin for his signature, the Virginian-Pilot newspaper reports. The bill that passed narrowly passed both houses of the General Assembly — 51-49 in the House of Delegates, and 20-19 in the […]

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BNSF train derails in Nebraska after grade-crossing collision

BNSF Railway logo

EXETER, Neb. — One crew member was transported to a hospital with minor injuries after a BNSF intermodal train struck a semi-truck and derailed today (Friday, March 1) near Exeter, Neb., KOLN-TV reports. Fifteen to 20 railcars derailed, according to the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office. The collision occurred about 10 a.m. , just west of […]

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CN, United Steelworkers announce tentative three-year agreement

Logo of United Steelworkers Canada

MONTREAL — Canadian National and United Steelworkers Local 2004, which represents CN track and bridge employees in Canada, have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract, the railroad announced today (Friday, March 1) The union represents more than 2,500 workers, primarily responsible for track maintenance. Negotiations had been underway since October 2023; the […]

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GIO Railway ends service to St. Catharines, Ontario

Front view of black locomotive on industry spur

ST. CATHARINES, Ontario — The GIO Railway ended service to downtown St. Catherines today (Friday, March 1), effectively removing the north end of GIO’s Niagara network from service and halting nearly 150 years of rail service to the city’s downtown. GIO’s final train operated over two days because of mechanical issues, beginning its trip on […]

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West Coast winter weather affects California Zephyr, Empire Builder

Two passenger trains with bilevel equipment meet in snow

CHICAGO — Amtrak’s California Zephyr has been cancelled west of Salt Lake City through the weekend as weather forecasters are predicting heavy snow will pound Donner Pass and the Sierra Nevada mountains through Saturday. Service on the Seattle segment of the Empire Builder route was also disrupted this week. Trouble started early Thursday when the […]

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Amtrak awards contract for Philadelphia maintenance facility

Aerial view of rail yard showing planned new construction

PHILADELPHIA — Amtrak has awarded a contract to Herzog Contracting Corp. for design and construction of a new Heavy Maintenance Facility at the passenger operator’s Penn Coach Yard in Philadelphia, the first of six major projects planned for maintenance facilities around the country. The projects at five locations in the Northeast and one in the […]

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