GATINEAU, Quebec — Track that buckled under a train as it was passing — because of “compressive thermal stress” reflecting high temperatures for several days — led to the derailment of a Canadian National train at Pangburn Station, New Brunswick, near Moncton, on Aug. 21, 2021, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in an […]
WASHINGTON — An operator who “exceeded maximum authorized speed due to his loss of situational awareness” was the probable cause of a July 2021 collision between two Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority light rail vehicles, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a report released Thursday, Jan. 5. The operator, who told authorities that he may […]
BOSTON — A state legislative committee has proposed shrinking the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority as one way to address the agency’s widespread safety issues. Boston.com reports the Massachusett’s legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation has suggested in a report issued earlier this week that the MBTA be relieved of its commuter rail and ferry operations, as […]
BOCA RATON, Fla. — To a degree, the debate over one- or two-person crews is academic for Michael Miller, the president of Genesee & Wyoming’s North American operations. “We don’t have many operations where we would have one-man crews,” Miller said today (Thursday, Jan. 5) during the “fireside chat” closing the first day’s general session […]
BOCA RATON, Fla. — When it comes to capital plans, Norfolk Southern is holding steady. The railroad is at a “steady state” in basics such as rail and tie replacement, Ed Boyle, vice president of engineering, said Thursday at the annual NRC Conference, meaning its goals for 2023 are similar to its achievements in 2022. […]
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Ties are a big topic at the annual NRC Conference — just about every railroad mentions how many ties it will replace in the coming year —so it makes sense that Shane Keller, Union Pacific’s vice president of engineering, wanted to highlight UP’s effort to improve the tie-replacement process. Keller was […]
WASHINGTON — A DC Metrorail operator was arrested on suspicion of operating a train while intoxicated in a Dec. 23 incident, the news site Greater Greater Washington reports, citing a Metro Transit Police department document. Arrest came after the Blue Line train missed a stop at Van Dorn Street, then halted between stations for some […]
SISSETON, S.D. — The Sisseton Milbank Railroad, owned by Twin Cities & Western Railroad, is seeking $24.7 million in grant funds to rebuild the railroad, the Watertown (S.D.) Public Opinion reported. The former Milwaukee Road branch line was built in 1893 and still has 75-pound rail. The railroad can’t handle 286,000 pound cars and […]
OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific, citing ongoing harsh winter weather, is continuing an embargo it placed last week on all traffic to and from Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. “A powerful storm system will swing through the Central U.S. early this week, bringing heavy snow, freezing rain and ice to Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National announced Tuesday that the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference has ratified a new contract agreement covering approximately 160 CN rail traffic controllers in Canada. The agreement, ratified on Dec. 23, is effective through Dec. 31, 2025 and includes wage increases of 3% in 2023, 3% in 2024, and 2.5% in 2025, as […]
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Schneider says it has successfully shifted its intermodal traffic in the west from BNSF Railway to Union Pacific. Schneider began transferring some business to UP last year in anticipation of the full move on Jan. 1. “Schneider’s intermodal operations on Union Pacific transitioned seamlessly as the companies collaborated closely over the […]
WASHINGTON – A Government Accountability Office report on Precision Scheduled Railroading says the impact of the low-cost operating model on safety and service is unclear. The Federal Railroad Administration told the GAO that the data are inconclusive about how PSR-related operational changes may have affected safety across the industry. There’s no clear link, for example, […]
