WASHINGTON — Seeking “to lead our continued transformation of the customer experience,” according to Roger Harris, Amtrak president, in an announcement Monday, Amtrak has hired Eliot Hamlisch to a position once held by current CEO Stephen Gardner. As the company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Hamlisch will oversee corporate marketing, sales distribution, network […]
Minnesota Transportation Museum’s Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway OSCEOLA, Wis. — If you were at the restored Soo Line depot in Osceola on Sept. 11-12, you’d be hard pressed to know what railroad operated there. That’s because the Minnesota Transportation Museum’s Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway operated three trains representing three different railroads […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s police department and Operation Lifesaver, the national rail safety education nonprofit, are joining law enforcement and other first responders across the U.S. today for “Operation Clear Track,” the single largest rail safety initiative in the U.S. This annual initiative takes place during Rail Safety Week, Sept. 18-24, in the U.S., Canada and […]
BERLIN — Electric vehicle maker Tesla has opened its railway line east of Berlin to passenger trains designed for use by workers at its new ‘Gigafactory’ east of the German capital. Trains started running on Sept. 4, and are free of charge and available to all passengers whether Tesla employees or not. The short rail […]
ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern has established an interim fund that will backstop the value of homes sold in East Palestine, Ohio, and some surrounding communities, the railroad said yesterday. The Value Assurance Program will compensate home sellers for any difference between a home’s value and its selling price in the wake of the toxic Feb. […]
BNSF Railway and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division—International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED) have reached a tentative agreement which includes paid sick days. Building upon existing BNSF paid time off and sickness benefits, BMWED members will receive individual paid days off to use as sick days and gain the ability to convert up […]
Canadian National AC44C6M No. 3309, which was rebuilt at the Wabtec plant in Fort Worth last year, now sports the railway’s steam era logo on its long hood. The unit was first spotted with the so-called “wafer” logo last week. The 3309 has been on the point of the CN business train since departing Markham, […]
WILLIAMS, Ariz. — Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel commemorated two anniversaries on September 16: The first passenger train to arrive from Williams to the Grand Canyon’s south rim on Sept. 17, 1901; and the former Santa Fe branch line’s reopening as the Grand Canyon Railway, 88 years to the day in 1989. Steam locomotive No. […]
GOSHEN, Va. — Norfolk & Western steam locomotive No. 611 completed a successful ferry move on September 14 from its hometown of Roanoke, Va., to the Buckingham Branch Railroad. The J-class 4-8-4 is currently stationed at the new Victoria Station siding in Goshen. According to a post on the Norfolk & Western Class J No. […]
Washington’s Tunnel 5 Fire SKAMANIA COUNTY, Wash. — In a preliminary report initially obtained by the Columbia Insight, later acquired for Trains News Wire, the Wildland Fire Investigation of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources has determined a BNSF Railway freight train as the main cause of the Tunnel 5 Fire. As the name […]
If it works as intended, the Surface Transportation Board’s proposed reciprocal switching rule just might — emphasis on might — lead to better service for Class I railroad carload customers. Earlier this month the board unveiled the long-awaited rule, which for the first time proposes service standards for railroads. If a railroad fails to meet […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today marks the start of Rail Safety Week across North America. While rail remains the safest way to move goods over land, according to the Association of American Railroads, this week, railroads and other safety advocates are intensifying their efforts to enhance public safety near railroad tracks — the single largest, most […]
