WASHINGTON – Patrick Fuchs has been named chairman of the Surface Transportation Board. The appointment of Fuchs, a Republican, was announced Monday, Jan. 21. He was confirmed to his second five-year term on the board on May 14, 2024. Prior to his appointment to the STB in 2019, Fuchs was senior professional staff member working […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration will allow Parallel Systems to test its autonomous, self-propelled flatcar system on a pair of Genesee & Wyoming short lines in Georgia. The FRA last week approved the request from Parallel, Georgia Central Railway, and Heart of Georgia Railroad. In August 2023 the Los Angeles-based Parallel and the G&W […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — When people in shipping or logistics discuss the advantages of trucking over railroads, one of the things they talk about is ease of use. Union Pacific is working on addressing that, at least when it comes to its online portal for customers, says Kenny Rocker, executive vice president, marketing and sales. “Some […]
Developing and adhering to a structured operating plan gives railroads a step-by-step process to running their trains. The structure is required to drive long-term success. And whether it’s your daily routine or running a 23-state railroad network, having a plan is important. In recent years, it’s been a template of fewer but longer scheduled trains […]
An eastbound Rock Island freight, led by a red-and-black F unit trio — FT A-B 99/99B plus an F2 — passes the Joliet (Ill.) Union Station platform, on which several passengers wait. The Will County courthouse rises above the train and station. Wallace W. Abbey photo […]
MONON, Ind. — Cleanup is continuing after 15 cars of a CSX train derailed near Monon on Saturday morning, disrupting operation of Amtrak’s Cardinal both into and out of Chicago. The derailment occurred about 7:10 a.m. at the West Pass siding northwest of Monon. As a result, the westbound Cardinal due to arrive in Chicago […]
GATINEAU, Quebec — A broken rail caused to the Canadian National derailment that led to a hazardous-materials release and shelter-in-place order in a Montreal suburb in November 2024, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in a report released on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. The derailment in Longueuil, Que., occurred about 8:27 a.m. on Nov. […]
WASHINGTON — The House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials has announced plans to hold a hearing on freight and passenger rail issues and the state of the railroad industry this Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. The hearing, entitled “America Builds: Examining America’s Freight and Passenger Rail Network,” is set for 10 a.m. ET in […]
WASHINGTON — A federal court has struck down a Department of Transportation rule on transportation of liquefied natural gas enacted in 2020, saying the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration did not sufficiently consider the safety risks involved. Specifically, the decision by a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia […]
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority on Thursday announced it has selected a construction consortium for the second part of the Long Bridge Project, the new two-track bridge across the Potomac River between Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va. Long Bridge Rail Partners — a joint venture of Trumbull Corp., Fay, S&B USA Construction, […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Notes from the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers’ Winter Meeting, which concluded today (Jan. 16, 2025): The Iowa Northern decision The MARS meeting opened the day after the Surface Transportation Board issued its long-awaited decision approving Canadian National’s purchase of Iowa Northern Railway, a deal effective Feb. 13 [see “STB greenlights Canadian […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Approaching the likely end of his tenure as chairman of the Surface Transportation Board, Robert Primus made it clear: the hearing the board held last fall on growth in the rail industry did not ease his concerns about Class I efforts to increase volume. In a rare address today (Jan. 16, 2025) […]
