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MOLINE, Ill. — The transit bill passed early Friday (Oct. 31) by Illinois legislators doesn’t just address the financial needs and governing structure of transit operations in the Chicago area. Tucked into the bill’s more than 1,000 pages are two provisions that legislators say should boost the long-running effort to launch rail passenger service between […]
SOUDERTON, Pa. — The effort to restore the last surviving Lehigh & New England diesel locomotive has announced a milestone: the shipment of all four of the Alco S2’s traction motors to an Altoona, Pa., company for rehabilitation. The Railroad & Industrial Preservation Society said today (Oct. 31, 2025) that the traction motors of L&NE […]
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division has ratified the five-year collective bargaining agreement reached with railroads represented by the National Carriers Conference Committee. The tentative deal had been announced in September [see “SMART-TD reaches national tentative agreement …,” Trains.com, Sept. 16, 2025]. The agreement, covering SMART-TD […]
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has reached a tentative five-year agreement with the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad, and ratification voting is now in progress, the union has announced. The agreement through 2030 would provide for a guaranteed 40-hour work week, a signing bonus, annual wage increases, and improvements […]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cathcart Rail, which provides a range of freight rail services, has rebranded itself as Guardian Rail as of today (Oct. 27, 2025). The company says the rebrand reflects its focus on safety, consistency and operational excellence, while setting the tone for a new chapter of growth, clarity, and purpose. “We’re doing more […]
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. —Pennsylvania & Southern has joined the small but growing number of short line and regional railroads commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026. The railroad serving the Cumberland Valley Business Park, midway between Harrisburg, Pa., and Hagerstown, Md., which already had a red, white & blue paint scheme for its diesels, […]
SAGINAW, Mich. — Lake State Railway has introduced a special paint scheme one of its SD70M locomotives to celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence. SD70M No. 1776, unveiled earlier this month, wears a paint scheme designed by Travis Vongrey, a second-generation Lake State railroad and currently supervisor of yard operations. His design was […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Pinsly Railroad Co. CEO Ryan Ratledge has been appointed to a three-year term on the Surface Transportation Board’s Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council. “I am honored to represent Pinsly Railroad Company and small railroads across the country on the RSTAC committee,” Ratledge said in a statement released on Wednesday. “I look forward to […]
ROCKLAND, Maine—Two former Adirondack Railroad coaches equipped with heating and air conditioning have arrived at Cumberland & Knox Railroad’s Rockland facility for excursion operations on the state-owned Rockland branch. Finn Kelly, the line’s government affairs manager, tells Trains.com., “We’re still evaluating different options for excursions” on the 56-mile former Maine Central branch from Brunswick, Maine, […]
CHICAGO — One of the major pieces of Chicago’s CREATE program marked a milestone on Wednesday, Oct. 15, as the first CSX Transportation train crossed the Forest Hill Flyover on the city’s South Side. The new structure separates CSX’s main line from tracks used by Metra, the Belt Railway of Chicago, and Norfolk Southern. The […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Pinsly Railroad Co. has begun operating its newest short line, the 36-mile Georgiana & Andalusia Railroad in southern Alabama. The former Three Notch Railway interchanges with CSX at Georgiana, Ala. The Georgiana & Andalusia Railroad is set to make infrastructure investments to support the growth of both current and future rail-served customers […]
CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker disclosed earlier this month that his administration seeks to commit almost $1 billion of planned 2026-2031 infrastructure spending to several languishing passenger rail initiatives in the state, but translating proposals into tangible results continues to be a challenge. Hanging over all new construction endeavors is the need for Illinois […]
