The first word in the Association of American Railroad’s annual Rail Industry Outlook is “uncertainty,” as a slew of economic and policy issues weigh on the business in 2025. To further temper optimism, the report says that uncertainty is more pronounced amid cyclical factors and expectations for policy changes in the year ahead. “Potential shifts […]
News & Products for the week of January 13th 2025 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of January 13th, […]
Canadian National has opened a new 4-mile stretch of double track on its former Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Chicago bypass route. The track, between Sutton and Spaulding, Ill., has increased velocity through the area by 30%, Patrick Whitehead, the railway’s executive vice president of network operations, said in a post on LinkedIn. The 17% in […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board says it is on schedule to issue a decision by early summer in the Sunset Limited on-time performance case, the first Amtrak has brought against a host railroad. “As we begin 2025, we do so having achieved marked progress on the Sunset Limited on-time performance (OTP) investigation, a critically […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has ratified a new five-year contract with CSX Transportation, the railroad has announced. “The ratification by the BMWED marks an important advancement in our ongoing collaboration with union leadership,” CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs said in a press release […]
GALESBURG, Ill. — The city of Galesburg has received a $25 million federal grant to fund the addition of rail lines at Galesburg Business Park, a 329-acre facility served by BNSF Railway. The addition of spur tracks will support construction of an intermodal agricultural export facility by the DeLong Co. that will cover about 100 […]
WASHINGTON — A new Sound Transit light rail station and rail improvements at the Port of Benton in Richland, Wash., will receive more than $34 million in U.S. Department of Transportation grants, four members of the Washington State Democratic congressional delegation have announced. They were among four projects receiving more than $56 million under the […]
SADIEVILLE, Ky. — Cleanup continues after 12 cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed Thursday evening north of Lexington, Ky. WKYT-TV reports no injuries were reported. No cargo was spilled and no hazardous materials were involved. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office initially reported that State Route 32 would be closed because of the derailment, but […]
SALT LAKE CITY — Two Utah cities are considering employing 24-hour-a-day flaggers at grade crossings to restore a quiet zone on a stretch of Union Pacific track also used by Utah Transit Authority commuter trains. Two quiet zones, stretching from Ogden to Provo and in place for up to 16 years, were suspended last Sept. […]
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Switching Services, the freight operator on the state-owned Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad, has been selected by the Maine Department of Transportation to operate and maintain the state’s Rockland Branch, a 57-mile former Maine Central line. However, a pilot program to test passenger service on the route, in coordination with the […]
TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling for development of a freight rail bypass to the west of Toronto that he says would allow “significant, longer-term expansion” of GO Transit commuter rail service in the region. In a letter today (Jan. 9, 2025) to the chairman of provincial transit agency Metrolinx, posted on X.com, […]
Train Sim World 5 is now available on a wide variety of platforms, including on PC, Xbox One and Series S|X, PlayStation 4 and 5, plus Steam Deck and via Epic Games Store. Join Trains.com talent Bryson Sleppy, as he walks you through TSW 5’s immersive virtual world of railroading…one that has growing appeal to […]
