PITTSBURGH — Metro-North Railroad and Portland’s Tri-Met each were honored twice when the American Public Transportation Association announced its 2023 Rail Safety, Security, and Emergency Management Awards on Teusday. The awards recognize transit organizations for innovative and proactive safety and security programs, and beginning this year include a category to recognize excellence in the management […]
AMSTERDAM — Despite objections from international high speed rail operator Eurostar and passenger groups, the Dutch government has agreed to a plan by state-owned infrastructure operator ProRail to suspend all Eurostar services in the Netherlands for up to a year beginning next summer. Separately, Eurostar has also dropped its service between London and Disneyland Paris. […]
CHICAGO — A trio of recent Union Pacific agreements with rail labor unions, combined with ongoing volume and expense challenges, likely will make the railroad’s operating ratio rise this year. Previously UP expected the operating ratio to improve this year compared to 2022’s 60.1%. Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Hamann, speaking at an investor conference today, […]
RIDGEVILLE, S.C. — Palmetto Railways, the short line owned and operated by the state of South Carolina, has begun construction of a new rail line to serve the Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville and the adjacent Volvo auto plant. The 22.7-mile line will cost $185 million and take about 2½ years to build, Palmetto […]
CHICAGO — New schedules for Amtrak’s Lincoln Service trains will take effect June 26, and are expected to shave approximately 15 minutes off current travel times to reflect 110-mph operation on portions of the Chicago-St. Louis route. The new schedules — not yet available on Amtrak’s website as of 7 p.m. today (June 12), but […]
PALESTINE, Texas — The Texas State Railroad, a heritage railway in East Texas, will receive $10 million under the budget passed last month by the state legislature. The Palestine Herald-Press reports funding will go toward capital projects that could include tie and ballast work, replacement of 100-year-old rails, railcar maintenance, safety improvements, and other projects. […]
CSX Transportation CEO Joe Hinrichs showed off the railroad’s second heritage locomotive today on LinkedIn: ES44AH No. 1973, a salute to the Chessie System. “The Chessie Cat is back! Here is the CSX Chessie System locomotive #1973,” Hinrichs wrote. “Enjoy! Great job again by our Waycross team.” The locomotive was painted at CSX’s Waycross, Ga., […]
NEW YORK — A representative for Madison Square Garden argued at a Wednesday hearing that a recent report by Penn Station’s rail operators saying the arena and station are “not compatible” is a negotiating ploy by the rail agencies as the arena seeks a permit to continue operations. The six-hour hearing before New York City’s […]
STUART, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard has issued an order changing rules for opening Florida East Coast Railway’s single-track drawbridge over the Okeechobee Waterway of the St. Lucie River that could seriously disrupt Brightline’s plan to begin hourly service between Miami and Orlando this summer. The change could also result in miles-long FEC freight […]
LANSING, Mich. — Ten railroads will receive a total of $19 million for a dozen projects as the first round of recipients for the Michigan Rail Enhancement Grant Program announced today (Friday, June 9). The 2023 projects funded by the state Department of Transportation, selected in a competitive process, will improve rail safety, operational efficiency, […]
WASHINGTON — In the wake of a May 10 Norfolk Southern derailment in Pennsylvania, the Federal Railroad Administration today issued a safety advisory recommending that railroads implement safeguards to ensure that hot bearing detectors properly report defects. The supplemental advisory adds a fifth recommendation to the four spelled out in a March 3 safety advisory […]
CLUNY, Alberta — “Multiple cars” of a CPKC intermodal train derailed Thursday afternoon in Alberta, a CPKC representative told CTV News. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in a statement today to CTV that 14 cars had derailed. No injuries were reported and no hazardous materials were involved. The TSB is investigating and assessing […]
