COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The “hospital” train ferrying historic Union Pacific steam locomotives and other equipment to Silvis, Ill. was detoured onto the Iowa Interstate Railroad at Council Bluffs this morning. The train has been making a slow move across the UP main line since departing Cheyenne, Wyo. on Nov. 11. The slow speed of […]
SANTA FE, N.M. — Santa Fe 2-10-4 No. 5030, displayed in a Santa Fe park since 1959, is getting a refresh thanks to the Old Santa Fe Association. Volunteers from the civic association cleared trash and weeds and set up a new fence around the 380,300-pound machine. They repaired some of the rust and corroded […]
PARIS, Mo. — A westbound Norfolk Southern manifest freight train derailed after colliding with a semi-trailer truck at a grade crossing on Highway 15 near Paris, Mo., on Thursday, Nov. 17th. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, an occupant in the truck and the locomotive engineer suffered minor injuries and were treated at the […]
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific has released a video of 4-6-4 No. 2816 being moved into its Calgary shop for overhaul. According to CP, No. 2816 is “being prepped for a special cross-continental trip from Calgary to Mexico City to celebrate completion of the proposed CP-KCS merger, pending regulatory approval, and the connecting of a […]
CUMBERLAND, Md. – The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad has added former New York Central grill dining car No. 456 to its fleet. The car was part of the Chattanooga Choo-Choo hotel complex for over 50 years. WMSR said in a Facebook post it will be relocating the diner to Cumberland as soon as possible. The […]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) has approved resolutions to sponsor four Federal Railroad Administration Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grant applications, totaling $52 million. Projects Cincinnati Planning Grant — In collaboration with Norfolk Southern, CSX, and Genesee & Wyoming, the project will review and prioritize projects that reduce congestion […]
MONTRÉAL – VIA Rail Canada is awarding two contracts for the modernization of its maintenance centers in Toronto and Montréal. VIA awarded the contract for construction at the Toronto Maintenance Center to Buttcon Limited, based in Concord, Ontario. Pomerleau Inc., based in Montréal has been awarded the contract for work at the Montréal Maintenance Center. […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has released a priority list of projects eligible for funding under the Northeast Corridor component of the Federal-State Partnership portion of the Infrastructure and Jobs Act. Of the $24 billion available to be matched by Amtrak and 8 states from Massachusetts to Maryland plus the District of Columbia, the […]
NEW YORK — Railroads will not regain market share lost to trucks unless they shift to traffic growth mode, transform their operations, and provide service that’s far more reliable than ever. That’s the view of Oliver Wyman partner Adriene Bailey, who this week outlined four big steps railroads must take in order to deliver the […]
Railroads are attracted to extremely long trains like a moth to a flame. And sometimes they get burned from this unhealthy obsession. A case in point: In October CSX Transportation ran two overlength merchandise trains at each other on its single-track mainline between Savannah and Augusta, Ga. The plan was to do a double saw-by […]
NEW YORK – Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman unleashed a barrage of criticism at the big four U.S. Class I railroads during the RailTrends conference on Wednesday, claiming that their crew shortages are self-inflicted and that the resulting service problems are damaging the economy. The service meltdown was brewing long before the pandemic, […]
RICHMOND, Va. — Ridership on the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Amtrak service grew by 37.6% in September 2022 as compared to pre-pandemic September 2019, the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) reported this month. During the month, 105,689 passengers traveled compared to 76,793 during the same month in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. One reason for the […]
