REDBANK, Queensland — Australia’s largest freight rail company, Aurizon, has contracted with Progress Rail to build what the companies are calling the first zero-emission-capable freight locomotive to be constructed in Australia, a battery-electric unit. Progress Rail will retrofit one of Aurizon’s existing 4000-class diesel locomotives, Clyde Engineering units built by Walkers, at the Progress Rail […]
WASHINGTON — The 164th car of a Norfolk Southern train triggered a critical hot box detector alert before a May wreck in Pennsylvania, but the train continued on its journey for 15.34 miles before derailing because neither the crew nor the railroad’s network operations center received the warning that would have required the train to […]
First of two parts WASHINGTON — While the U.S. Transportation Security Administration reported a record 2.7 million passengers processed at the nation’s airports on Friday, May 26, a lack of capacity means intercity passenger rail travel was not a Memorial Day weekend travel option for many Americans served by Amtrak long-distance trains. The problem is […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has reached a tentative labor agreement with its largest union after a month of negotiations, the two sides have announced. The three-year contract includes a compounded raise of 9.8%. The New York Daily News reports that the approximately 40,000 members of Transit Workers Union Local 100 would receive […]
WASHINGTON — Growth of carload traffic was insufficient to offset sagging intermodal volume as U.S. rail traffic continued to lag behind 2022 levels, according to the latest statistcis from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending May 27, 2023, overall traffic was 480,998 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.8% from the same week […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has today published Notices of Proposed Rulemaking that would require certification of dispatchers and signal employees, under provisions of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008. The rule regarding dispatchers would require railroads to develop formal training programs, methods of verifying that dispatchers have the knowledge and skills to […]
Rob Himoto’s Santa Maria Valley Railroad is the quintessential short line success story. His family bought the struggling 13.72-mile independent short line in 2006. Through hard work, they’ve been able to quadruple annual carloadings, diversify the railroad’s traffic base, and improve its track. Himoto is understandably proud of the turnaround and the role the railroad […]
WASHINGTON — Ryan Risdon will become manager, program support, at the Short Line Safety Institute, a new position supporting the institute’s safety culture and hazardous materials training programs. Risdon brings more than 25 years of experience in railroad safety administration, compliance, and emergency response management to the institute, an educational, training, and research center for […]
CALGARY, Alberta — The cross-border interline intermodal perishables service that Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern tested before their merger must have worked: CPKC announced today that it has more than doubled its refrigerated container fleet with the purchase of 1,000 new reefers. The 53-foot containers will be used on the railway’s new Mexico Midwest […]
CHICAGO — Railroads have to mend frayed relationships with customers, employees, Congress, and regulators, CSX Transportation CEO Joe Hinrichs told a shipper conference last week. “At best we have strained relations with every single key stakeholder except investors. And most of our key stakeholders hate us,” Hinrichs says he told CSX management shortly after becoming […]
WASHINGTON — Launch of service for Amtrak’s next-generation Acela trainsets has been pushed back into 2024, the Washington Post reports, as testing and computer simulations continue to find problems, most recently with the train’s wheelsets. That means the new trains will enter service at least three years late, placing increasing pressure on the existing Acela […]
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Norfolk Southern will open a new Family Assistance Center in East Palestine today (May 30), after signing a two-year lease on the space for residents to report losses related to the Feb. 3 derailment in the community. Also, the railroad has announced plans to donate its station in East Palestine to […]
