OTTAWA — The Government of Canada has announced two actions to address the impact of climate change on railroads — one regarding fire prevention, and the other to address efforts to make infrastructure resilient to issues such as flooding and landslides. The fire-prevention rules, effective during the April 1-Oct. 31 fire season, require railroads: — […]
SANTA PAULA, Calif. — After departing Fillmore in a disagreement over use of a city-owned rail yard there, the Sierra Northern Railway, Ventura Division, has moved its operational headquarters some 9 miles west to the former Santa Paula Hay and Grain facility on 12th Street in Santa Paula. The move was effective as of July […]
MONTREAL — The strike in Canada by members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers against Canadian National Railway has ended. CN announced Monday that the union, which represents about 750 signal and communications workers, has agreed to binding arbitration, bringing an end to the strike at 12:01 a.m. EDT today (July 5, 2022). Those […]
WASHINGTON — As part of their review of the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, federal regulators will consider requests for conditions from Canadian National and Norfolk Southern. The Surface Transportation Board on July 1 said that it has accepted the so-called responsive applications from CN and NS. CN has asked the board to force CP […]
CHICAGO — The Southwest Chief that departed Los Angeles Tuesday evening and its westbound counterpart leaving Chicago today (Thursday, June 30) are the first Chiefs to operate over the train’s full route, passing the scene of the fatal derailment in Mendon, Mo., since that accident on Monday. Monday’s westbound Southwest Chief was cancelled, and the […]
WASHINGTON — The leader of a federation of rail and other unions has written a group of U.S. senators asking that Congress give the Surface Transportation Board more power to enforce railroads’ common-carrier obligations as a way to address ongoing service issues. Tuesday’s letter from Greg Regan, president of the Transportation Trades Division, AFL-CIO — […]
CHICAGO — Railroad capital projects to aid or accommodate traffic growth may temporarily slide to the back burner as inflation maintains near 40-year highs, driving up the costs of project materials as well as the interest rates to finance such projects. Those making decisions on projects and operating within specific capital budgets are likely realizing […]
GATINEAU, Quebec — A Transportation Safety Board of Canada review of outstanding safety recommendations found that none of the nine recommendations regarding rail transportation could be considered have been addressed in Fully Satisfactory fashion, the highest rating available. A Fully Satisfactory rating means a course of action has seen the issue eliminated or substantially reduced. […]
Engine crewmen confer beside the cab ladder as the two Fairbanks-Morse diesels heading Milwaukee Road’s eastbound Olympian Hiawatha are fueled and watered during a passenger and service stop at Miles City, Mont., in the late 1940s or early ’50s. Don E. Wolter photo […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has officially launched its TOP|SPG operating plan, which is primarily focused on improving the railroad’s intermodal network. “TOP|SPG works by making our daily operations simpler, more consistent, and executable,” Paul Duncan, vice president of network planning and operations, said in a statement on Monday. Implementing the new plan is an important […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak’s Maple Leaf has resumed service to and from Toronto, marking the first cross-border rail service to be resumed since pandemic-related cuts in 2020. Amtrak announced this morning that the northbound Maple Leaf, operated in conjunction with VIA Rail Canada, would operate to Toronto today (Monday, June 27) with the first southbound […]
PARIS — French rail unions Sud Rail, CGT, and CFDT have called for a national strike by rail workers on July 6, Reuters reports. The unions said in a joint statement that workers “are sharply hit by exploding inflation. We must act to obtain wage increases.” The French call for a strike came as most […]
