Railroads are attracted to extremely long trains like a moth to a flame. And sometimes they get burned from this unhealthy obsession. A case in point: In October CSX Transportation ran two overlength merchandise trains at each other on its single-track mainline between Savannah and Augusta, Ga. The plan was to do a double saw-by […]
NEW YORK – Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman unleashed a barrage of criticism at the big four U.S. Class I railroads during the RailTrends conference on Wednesday, claiming that their crew shortages are self-inflicted and that the resulting service problems are damaging the economy. The service meltdown was brewing long before the pandemic, […]
RICHMOND, Va. — Ridership on the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Amtrak service grew by 37.6% in September 2022 as compared to pre-pandemic September 2019, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) reported this month. During the month, 105,689 passengers traveled compared to 76,793 during the same month in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. One reason for the […]
QUINCY, Ill. — Amtrak has announced the suspension of two Midwest trains. No. 380, the morning Quincy to Chicago Illinois Zephyr, and No. 381, the morning Chicago to Quincy Carl Sandburg have been cancelled through Jan. 16, 2023, reports KHQA-TV. Passengers holding tickets for these trains will receive full refunds or be able to rebook […]
CHICAGO — It’s been five years since Canadian Pacific and retail giant Canadian Tire Corp. unveiled North America’s first 60-foot intermodal container, and intermodal analyst Larry Gross says the larger container type is probably going to remain exclusive to Canada for the foreseeable future. CP and Canadian Tire launched service with the larger container in […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific once again will meter traffic to limit congestion if certain customers don’t voluntarily reduce the number of private freight cars operating on the railroad. UP informed shippers last week, Trains News Wire has learned. “Union Pacific regularly reviews our network to monitor for elevated inventory,” UP spokeswoman Robynn Tysver says. […]
ST. LOUIS – Amtrak has extended to Dec. 4 the suspension of one of the Missouri River Rail Runner round trips between St. Louis and Kansas City. The suspension began Oct. 24 and was scheduled to end Nov. 16. An Amtrak spokesman told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the suspension is due to continued delays in […]
WILLMAR, Minn. – BNSF Railway has opened a new 2.8-mile wye track west of Willmar that allows trains to bypass the city. Referred to as the “Willmar Bypass” the new track links BNSF’s busy Marshall Subdivision and its Morris Subdivision, the former Great Northern mainline. It allows eastbound Morris Subdivision trains to head onto the […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s Vice President of Long-Distance Service, Larry Chestler, said the company will be without more than a tenth of its equipment for those operations during the current fiscal year, which began in September. Participating in a Rail Passengers Association webinar on Tuesday, Chestler also reviewed the status of onboard dining, workforce hiring, internal […]
NEW YORK — Canadian Pacific’s experimental hydrogen-powered locomotive made its maiden revenue run last month in Calgary, Alberta, taking the first step in determining whether the technology could one day replace diesel-electric locomotives. “I’ll tell you, the excitement around it, the potential of it, is real,” CEO Keith Creel told the RailTrends conference on Tuesday. […]
ARLINGTON, Va. — The boilermakers’ union that represents 300 railroad workers has rejected their tentative agreement with the U.S. Class I systems, becoming the third labor organization to give a new contract a thumbs down. The union announced today that its members rejected the contract that had been based on the recommendations of the Presidential […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — Brightline will resume 110-mph testing of its passenger trains in Florida’s Martin and St. Lucie counties beginning this Friday, Nov. 18, the company has announced. Testing is scheduled Friday through Sunday, Nov. 20, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Flaggers and law enforcement officers will be present at five grade crossings during […]
