MONTREAL — Canada’s high-speed rail project could could involve the construction of lengthy tunnels in Montreal, the company responsible for the project says in a route description on its website — which could greatly increase the cost of the project. A tunnel could also be an option in Toronto. Alto, the Crown corporation that will […]
OAKDALE, Calif. — Sierra Northern Railway has introduced a locomotive honoring the 250th anniversary of the United States, adding a flag motif to the railroad’s latest blue, white, and gold paint scheme. Railpower RP20BD genset locomotive now wears No. 250. The locomotive began life as a Santa Fe GP7, later serving Burlington Northern and the […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The inescapable topic of artificial intelligence was, well, inescapable at last week’s Midwest Association of Rail Shippers winter meeting, making it one of the few topics to regularly elbow its way onto the event’s otherwise merger-dominated agenda. Speakers throughout the two-day conference talked about the ways AI is already used in a […]
TRENTON, N.J. — Outgoing New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signed into law a bill regulating hazardous-material trains in the state, one of more than 120 bills he approved on his final morning in office. Mikie Sherrill was sworn into office as the state’s new governor later in the day. The bill (A4460/S3389) passed by […]
WASHINGTON — Loss of electrical power and propulsion because of generator issues, and a failure to fully address earlier electrical problems, led a ship to collide with a BNSF taconite loading facility, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its final report on the July 24, 2024, incident in Superior, Wis. The collision damaged five […]
MIAMI — Florida commuter operator Tri-Rail has ordered seven Siemens Charger locomotives intended to replace the oldest units in its diverse locomotive fleet. Funding from the Federal Transit Administration will assist with the purchase by the South Florida Regional Transporation Authority. Siemens is the only builder currently capable of meeting Tri-Rail’s operational needs and regulatory […]
MIAMI — Brightline last week deferred interest payments on private activity bonds after initially indicating it would draw from financial reserves to make the payments. The company’s just-issued December revenue and ridership report says it elected to defer interest payments on debt due Jan. 15 on 11 bonds issued by the Florida Development Finance Corp., […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — While the CEOs of BNSF, CPKC, and Union Pacific squared off on the pros and cons of the UP-Norfolk Southern merger at the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers winter meeting, the fourth Class I representative on the agenda — Janet Drysdale, Canadian National chief commercial officer, took another path. Mostly. “I will not […]
INDIANAPOLIS — Derrick Wright has been named president and CEO of the Indiana Rail Road, the railroad’s board of directors announced last week. The appointment was effective Jan. 16. Wright joined the railroad as vice president of operations and mechanical, coming from the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, where he was chief operating officer. He […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has moved to reestablish the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee, after disbanding it last summer. The organization, which advises the FRA on safety matters, has had its charter reestablished via a notice published in the Federal Register on Jan. 13. The committee’s website says it is intended to “seek agreement […]
LAS VEGAS — The completion date for the Brightline West high-speed rail project has been pushed back again, this time to late 2029. The company informed KVVU-TV of that date last week, but not did elaborate on reasons for the new estimate. It did say the project is in the “civil construction” phase, preparing the […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — If there’s a white whale that railroads have long hunted, it’s the goal of converting truck traffic to rail. It’s a centerpiece of Union Pacific’s effort to show public benefits to its merger with Norfolk Southern, but the goal is hardly a new one. Janet Drysdale, Canadian National’s chief commercial officer, said […]
