PIERRE, S.D. — Two rail projects in South Dakota will receive almost $2.4 million in funding under the federal Special Transportation Circumstances program, state Transportation Secretary Joel Jundt announced. The Ringneck & Western Railroad will receive up to $1.799 million for a project near Plankinton, S.D., while the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad will […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation needs to improve its customer service and culture, CEO Joe Hinrichs told employees during a town hall meeting on Monday, his first day on the job. Hinrichs acknowledged the controversy surrounding Precision Scheduled Railroading but says CSX won’t be changing its operating model because it’s hard to argue with its […]
WASHINGTON – The machinists’ union has reached a second tentative agreement with Class I railroads, just under two weeks after the rank and file rejected the union’s first tentative deal. “We are pleased to announce that the nation’s freight railroads have reached a tentative agreement with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM),” […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Patriot Rail, which concluded its acquisition of Pioneer Lines earlier this month, will expand further through acquisition of Delta Southern Railroad, the companies announced Monday. Delta Southern operates more than 40 miles of track in two line segments about 60 miles apart in Monroe and Tallulah, La., serving two Mississippi River ports: […]
In position for a shot of Pennsylvania Railroad J1 2-10-4 No. 6427 climbing Horseshoe Curve with empty hopper cars in September 1955, photographer Phil Hastings had to settle for this view when a mixed freight overtook the Texas type on the outside track. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
PITTSBURGH – In order to attract, hire, and retain conductors – and avoid crew shortages that snarl operations and hurt service – Class I railroads need to make the job more appealing to today’s workers. That was the consensus of shippers, railroaders, and analysts who spoke at the North East Association of Rail Shippers conference […]
NEW YORK – Coal is enjoying a day in the sun amid low stockpiles at power plants and high natural gas prices. Overall railroad coal volumes have improved since the second quarter of 2021 and the trend is expected to continue into next year. But then a wave of coal-fired power plant retirements will put […]
WASHINGTON — The parties involved in the dispute over Amtrak’s effort to launch Gulf Coast passenger service have asked the Surface Transportation Board for a second extension for their current board-sponsored mediation. In a request filed Friday, Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority jointly requested the board extend mediation by […]
WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation’s use of a weather alert system which did not sufficiently account for extreme rainfall was a contributing factor in a Feb. 13, 2020, derailment and fire caused by a mudslide in Draffin, Ky., the National Transportation Safety Board concluded in its final report on the incident. The report, completed in August, […]
MIAMI — Four people were injured Saturday evening when two CSX freight trains collided near Miami International Airport, WPLG-TV reports. The accident was reported about 7 p.m. near the area of Northwest 15th Street and South Perimeter roads, with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue dispatching more than 25 units, including a hazardous materials team. The four people […]
Southern Pacific train 372, the Advance Overnight, departs the freight terminal at 4th and Berry streets, San Francisco, at the start of its run to Los Angeles in the mid-1950s. SP was a leader in adopting piggyback freight. William D. Middleton photo […]
PITTSBURGH — Service on the big four U.S. Class I railroads is improving slowly but remains uneven amid ongoing and sporadic crew shortages, shippers said this week at the North East Association of Rail Shippers conference. One thing that’s helped improve service is the resumption of hump operations at several yards over the past few […]
