MIAMI — Brightline is altering operations between Miami and West Palm Beach as of this afternoon (Wednesday, Nov. 9) because of the approaching Tropical Storm Nicole, which forecasters have predicted will be a Category 1 hurricane when it makes landfall on Thursday. But while the passenger operator initially said it also expected to modify Thursday […]
CHICAGO — J.B. Hunt executives see the potential for major growth with partner BNSF Railway next year thanks to rival Schneider shifting its intermodal business to Union Pacific. Schneider’s move to UP, effective Jan. 1, comes a year after another major truckload carrier, Knight-Swift, left BNSF for UP. “We have massive capacity becoming available to […]
STRASBURG, Pa. — Strasburg Rail Road’s ex-Norfolk & Western 4-8-0 steam engine No. 475 returned to excursion passenger duty this week after the company’s mechanical department worked overtime to repair smokebox damage from a Nov. 2 collision with a tracked excavator. The locomotive was back in service on Monday [see “Strasburg No.475 back in service […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — SunRail, the Orlando-area commuter operation that suffered significant damage on part of its route from the recent Hurricane Ian, has once again halted operations because of an approaching storm. Miami-area operator Tri-Rail, meanwhile, is also preparing to shut down. SunRail announced Tuesday afternoon it would halt operations today (Wednesday, Nov. 9) for […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has announced a series of changes and cancellations for Silver Star, Silver Meteor, and Auto Train departures scheduled for today (Tuesday, Nov. 8) through Friday, Nov. 11, because of the approach of Tropical Storm Nicole, which is being forecast to reach hurricane status by the time it arrives in Florida. The first […]
CHICAGO – Union Pacific is running a small pilot program in Kansas that aims to bring more predictability to engineer schedules. The experiment comes as railroads have been having trouble retaining train crews and hiring new conductors at many locations across their systems — due in part to the unpredictable nature of the jobs. Ongoing […]
AURORA, Colo. — The Regional Transportation District has begun repairs at the intersection where a light rail train derailed in September, leading to an ongoing interruption of service on its R Line, the Denver Post reports. A train derailed at a 90-degree turn through the intersection of South Sable Boulevard and East Exposition Drive on […]
WASHINGTON — A group of Glenview, Ill., residents who helped block efforts to expand Amtrak Hiawatha service between Chicago and Milwaukee has told the Surface Transportation Board it opposes Metra’s request for a new connecting track in the community to offset possible negative impacts of the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger. In a letter filed […]
RONKS, Pa. — Strasburg Rail Road 4-8-0 No. 475, damaged in a Nov. 2 collision with a piece of track maintenance equipment, is back in operation on the railroad’s trains today (Monday, Nov. 7), Strasburg General Manager Jim Hager reports in a note to Trains News Wire correspondent Dan Cupper. The locomotive suffered damage to […]
TORONTO — A strike by 2,200 GO Transit workers began at 12:01 a.m. today (Monday, Nov. 7) after talks broke down over the weekend, halting bus service by the Toronto-area transit agency. The seven GO rail lines and UP Express service to Pearson Airport continue to operate. The strike is by Amalgamated Transit Union Local […]
COSTONIA, Ohio — Fifteen cars of a Norfolk Southern train carrying trash derailed Sunday morning, Nov. 6, in Jefferson County, Ohio, WTOV-TV reports, sending some containers of refuse into the Ohio River. The derailment was reported to authorities about 7 a.m., Rob Herrington, deputy director of the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency, told WKBN-TV that […]
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Former Alaska Gov. Bill Sheffield, who was instrumental in the state’s purchase of the Alaska Railroad from the federal government and went on to serve as the railroad’s president, CEO, and board chairman, has died. Sheffield died on Nov. 4. He was 94. “There are just no words to encompass all that […]
