WASHINGTON — The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved a significantly revised version of the Railway Safety Act today (Wednesday, May 10), advancing the bill to the full Senate. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the bill, introduced in the wake of the Feb. 3 East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, passed by a 16-11 margin, a […]
WASHINGTON — Norfolk Southern will establish a fund to reimburse homeowners near the site of the East Palestine derailment who sell their homes for less than they were worth before the incident, Reuters reports. NS CEO Alan Shaw informed U.S. senators of the plan in a letter on Tuesday, saying those eligible will be “within […]
WASHINGTON — Expect changes today when the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation votes on the Railway Safety Act, the bipartisan bill introduced in March in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment. The American Chemistry Council and Association of American Railroads both issued statements Tuesday in favor of an amended version of […]
TACOMA, Wash. — A 65-year-old man was arrested Tuesday for tampering with railroad equipment, causing a derailment of tank cars carrying oil in Tacoma’s Tideflats industrial area. The Tacoma News Tribune, which reported the arrest, did not report the man’s name or any additional identifying details. The incident occurred about 7:55 a.m. Tuesday and involved […]
PASCAGOULA, Miss. — A new plant to create feedstock for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel has opened at a Pascagoula site served by CSX Transportation. The Oleo-X facility has the potential to produce up to 300 million gallons of premium feedstock per year. The innovative facility enables the processing of low-carbon, inedible oils, including […]
Colorado Pacific Railroad, the rail enterprise of Colorado billionaire Stefan Soloviev, is no longer pursuing purchase of the former Denver & Rio Grande Western Tennessee Pass line, according to the nonprofit website Colorado Newsline. The railroad’s general counsel, William Osborn, told the site Soloviev — a major New York developer and chairman of Crossroads Agriculture, […]
WASHINGTON — Navajo Transitional Energy Co.’s request for an emergency service order that would force BNSF Railway to handle more of its export coal would jeopardize service for other Powder River Basin coal producers, a mining company and the Crow Tribe have told federal regulators. NTEC, in a complaint filed with the Surface Transportation Board […]
News & Products for the week of May 8th 2023 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of May 8th 2023. […]
Union Pacific’s decision to challenge the Surface Transportation Board’s approval of the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger is likely a last-ditch attempt to protect its cross-border traffic from upstart CPKC. Last week UP asked a federal court to review the STB’s March 15 decision that allowed the CP-KCS merger to proceed on April 14 without […]
OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway’s first-quarter profit sank as volume fell in all four of the railroad’s business groups. BNSF’s pre-tax earnings declined 8.8%, to $1.6 billion, as revenue increased 1.9%, to $5.8 billion, BNSF’s parent, Berkshire Hathaway, reported on Saturday. The railroad’s operating ratio was 68.4%, a 3.8-point increase from a year ago, as […]
VICTORVILLE, Calif. — Officials in Victorville have terminated longstanding plans to build an intermodal facility, which have become outdated with BNSF Railway’s plan to build its $1.5 billion Barstow International Gateway. The Victorville Daily Press reports that Victorville’s city council last week dissolved an agreement to develop the Southern California Logistics Rail Authority, approved by […]
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 […]
