Freight forecaster: Intermodal doldrums will run through next year

Yellow locomotives leading train of double-stacked containers over bridge

Don’t expect North American intermodal traffic to break out of its slump anytime soon. The decline of imports from pandemic-related highs, the ongoing shift of imports to East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, and tough truck competition are all contributing to the 10% decline in intermodal volume for the year to date, says Todd Tranausky, […]

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CSX makes $5 million gift to B&O Railroad Museum

Rendering of event space next to brick museum building

BALTIMORE — CSX Corp. has announced a $5 million gift to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum, which will go toward the museum’s $30 million capital campaign as it prepares for the bicentennial of the B&O in 2027. The donation will be used to build the CSX Bicentennial Garden, an amphitheater and multiuse space that […]

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Delaware-Lackawanna begins 2023 track improvement work

Four Alco locomotives lead freight train under blue skies

SCRANTON, Pa. — The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad will reduce trip times and restore capacity on two key routes as part of its 2023 capital program, the railroad has announced. The projects will focus on lines owned by the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority and operated by Delaware-Lackawanna, part of the Genesee Valley Transportation rail network. Work […]

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U.S. rail traffic remains down in May

Yellow locomotive leading freight train in nose-on view from bridge

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic in May was down 5.7% from the same month in 2022, continuing the year’s overall drop in volume mostly attributable to decreased intermodal activity. Traffic was also down by 5.7% for the week ending June 3, compared to the same week in 2022. May statistics from the Association of American […]

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Norfolk Southern rail labor locomotive makes debut at town hall

ATLANTA — At a companywide town hall meeting that focused on safety and the importance of labor-management collaboration, Norfolk Southern last week debuted a locomotive that includes the logos of all 12 railroad labor unions. AC44C6M No. 4693 served as a backdrop for the event, which was held on Thursday at Bellevue Yard in Ohio […]

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New Connecticut budget includes commuter rail cuts

A Metro-North train heads north through Westport, Conn

HARTFORD, Conn. — Shore Line East commuter rail service will see significant service cuts and Metro-North’s New Haven Line will see a lesser reduction under the Connecticut state budget passed Tuesday by legislators. The two-year, $51 billion budget passed the state House by a 139-12 margin and the Senate by a 35-1 vote on Tuesday. […]

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Caltrain electric equipment makes first run under catenary (with video)

Red and white electric multiple-unit trainset under dramatic sunset

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Caltrain has reached a major milestone in the electrification of its San Francisco-San Jose main line, with the commuter rail operator announcing Tuesday that electrified trains have begun operating under power from the overhead contact system. The agency posted video Tuesday of trains making low-speed initial tests. These initial runs will […]

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MBTA emphasizes communication in revised worker safety plan

Rapid-transit train at station. Governor reacts following more close calls on MBTA.

BOSTON — Revised communications procedures are at the heart of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s rail worker safety plan resubmitted to the Federal Transit Administration on Monday, WGBH Radio reports. The new plan replaces one that the FTA rejected in mid-May as “insufficient” because it included some items that would not be addressed until late […]

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Austin adopts new plan for Project Connect light rail

Map of planned light rail in Austin, Texas

AUSTIN, Texas — Austin’s City Council and the board of directors for its transit agency and the Austin Transit Partnership have formally adopted a plan for Phase I of the city’s revised Project Connect light rail project, a 9.8-mile route to run from 38th Street in the city’s Northwest to Yellow Jacket Lane in the […]

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