Weekend disruptions hit VIA, Amtrak long-distance trains (updated)

Amtrak passenger train with two locomotives

EDMONTON, Alberta — Early-season forest fires in Alberta temporarily shut down Canadian National’s main line between Jasper and Edmonton over the weekend, forcing VIA Rail Canada to turn the westbound and eastbound Canadians at those locations and bus passengers between them. Meanwhile, a variety of issues inflicted significant delays on Amtrak long-distance trains. This included […]

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BART introduces new track geometry car

Track geometry car in rapid-transit station

Bay Area Rapid Transit has unveiled a new track geometry car, which it is calling its Rail Inspection Vehicle or RIV, which can develop a track profile while operating at speeds up to 70 mph. In a press release, the transit system said the RIV can measure track position, curvature, smoothness, alignment, as well as […]

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Clearing a Rio Grande rotary

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During an epic battle to reopen Cumbres Pass after a late December 1951 storm, a worker uses a shovel to clear the discharge chute of Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge rotary OM of heavy, wet snow. John Norwood photo […]

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Kansas governor calls for regulation requiring two-person crews

Freight train with five locomotives from three railroads on bridge

TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is seeking a regulation which would require two-person crews for trains operating within the state, calling it a “commonsense, necessary measure” for the safety of communities and crew members. Kelly, a Democrat, said in a press release that she has directed the state’s Department of Transportation to propose […]

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CN derailment in Ontario leads to small chemical leak

Work crews around derailed tank cars and damaged track

KINGSTON, Ontario — Six cars of a Canadian National train carrying hazardous materials derailed Friday in Kingston, Ontario, leading to a small chemical leak and collapsing a portion of a bridge, the CBC reports. No members of the train’s three-person crew were injured. Two tanks cars of the 12-car train ended up in Little Cataraqui […]

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Mexico invites CPKC to participate in rail projects

CPKC logo

MEXICO CITY – Mexico is seeking to incorporate Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) into three projects, Business News Americas reported. After a meeting between Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, U.S. officials, and CPKC executives in Mexico City, the government said it invited CPKC to participate in the 932-mile Maya train that will connect five states […]

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BNSF resumes freight service on Surf Line

BNSF Railway logo

 SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. ­– ­BNSF Railway has resumed freight service on the ex-Santa Fe “Surf Line” between Los Angeles and San Diego past the site of a landslide in San Clemente, the Los Angeles Times reported. BNSF began running two to four trains a day through the area at speeds of 10 to 15 mph, […]

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