DENVER – OmniTRAX Co-CEO Dean Piacente will retire at the end of the year as part of a planned leadership transition, the company said on Tuesday. Piacente will continue to serve on the OmniTRAX board and will focus on the shortline holding company’s eastern growth strategy. Co-CEO Colby Tanner, a former BNSF executive, will assume […]
VOORHEESVILLE, N.Y. — A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction allowing Norfolk Southern to begin work on a new crew-change facility in the village of Voorheesville, which sought to block the project. The Albany Times-Union reports U.S. District Court Judge Brenda K. Sannes of the Northern District of New York approved the preliminary injunction […]
CANCUN — Mexico’s Maya Train continues to sustain massive losses as it marks two years of operation, and one year as a completed route. Latest figures show subsidies are nearly 10 times the operation’s revenue from tickets and merchandise, according to a report by the newspaper Reforma. Mexico News Daily, quoting the paywalled Reforma report, […]
WASHINGTON — A trio of Southern Democratic congressmen have come out in favor of the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger. Calling rail freight “vital to our states and the country’s economy,” a letter from U.S. Reps. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, and Troy Carter and Cleo Fields of Louisiana urged Surface Transportation Board Chairman Patrick Fuchs to […]
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. — Union Pacific has completed expansion of its Gasa Grande Yard, doubling capacity at the facility about 70 miles west of Tucson on the railroad’s Gila Subdivision. The project added four tracks and a new industrial lead, and included a powered switch, a new yard control point, and upgraded mainline signals. “The […]
YAKIMA, Wash. — At its regular meeting on Dec. 9, the Yakima City Council voted five to two in favor of postponing discussion and action on a new operating agreement with the Yakima Valley Trolleys until its Jan. 20, 2026 meeting. The nonprofit group operates trolleys on what remains of the Yakima Valley Transportation Co. […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has appointed W. Anthony “Tony” Will to its board of directors, effective Jan. 5. Will has served as president, CEO and board member of CF Industries Holdings, a global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products, since 2014. He plans to retire Jan. 4, and will serve in an advisory role […]
BNSF Railway crews worked over the weekend to repair flood-damaged sections of the railroad in Washington state, which was hit by record rainfall last week. Some areas of western Washington and Oregon received 10 to 17 inches of rain, which is more than some locations receive in a month, BNSF said in a customer advisory […]
WASHINGTON — The Short Line Safety Institute has named Chris Machenberg as its hazardous materials program director, the organization announced today (Dec. 15). Machenberg, a veteran of nearly 30 years in the rail industry, has worked as a conductor, engineer, yardmaster, and trainmaster, with increasing levels of responsibility for hazardous materials shipments and safety. He […]
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Eleven workers at the D&I Railroad have voted to join the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the union has announced following certification of election results earlier this month by the National Mediation Board. The BLET says it is the 14th short line where workers have voted to join the union since […]
CHICAGO — With temperatures hovering around zero over the weekend of Dec. 12-14, most Amtrak trains were able to leave Chicago on time, but a number were delayed more than two hours at their points of origin, while others had to contend with disabled freight trains. Meanwhile, service resumed through areas flooded earlier in the […]
WASHINGTON — Legislation re-introduced by two U.S. Senators seeks to increase funding for state and local transit funding to help add new routes, increase service frequency, and prevent service cuts. The “Moving Transit Forward Act” was introduced Dec. 11, and is sponsored by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.). Eight other Democrats […]
