Minneapolis & St. Louis 2-6-0 310, power for the Marshalltown–Story City, Iowa, mixed train, switches at Roland, the biggest source of traffic on the 38-mile Story City branch line, in the late 1940s. William F. Armstrong photo […]
WASHINGTON — There were more questions than answers on Tuesday as federal regulators sought ways to remedy railroad service problems that defy a quick fix because they are rooted in a shortage of train crews. Shippers told the Surface Transportation Board that rail service has deteriorated, with delays mounting as transit times have in some […]
Railroads will not replace each coal hopper with a flat car of windmill blades, but America’s commitment to increasing its use of renewable energy is altering the relationship between railroads and energy. Whether through the transportation of raw materials, intermodal, or network capacity, renewables will affect railroads’ business because of how it is interwoven in […]
CALGARY — Port Saint John, New Brunswick, will see additional seasonal container service, Canadian Pacific and shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd have announced. The additional call at the port via a “seasonal extra loader” follows service launched into the port in May 2021. “We are thrilled to see Hapag-Lloyd add a second solution into Port Saint John, […]
Antique Trackmobiles in railroading, is one way to describe them. The photographer of Pennsylvania Railroad No. 445 uses “doodlebug” in his caption. They’re more descriptively described as “rubber tired switchers” on a Pennsylvania Railroad railfan site. Whatever you call them, the trackless locomotives once employed by railroads are clearly ancestors of today’s Trackmobiles and similar […]
ROGERS, Texas — Twenty-two cars of a BNSF Railway train derailed Sunday between Rogers and Buckholts, Texas, the Milam County Sheriff’s Office reported. No injuries were reported, and no hazardous materials were involved, KWTX-TV reports. No other information was reported. The derailment site is parallel to U.S. Route 190 about 14 miles south of Temple, […]
In the fall of 2021, Trains.com staff rode Amtrak train no. 5, California Zephyr from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Denver, Colorado, with the expressed intent of capturing seasonal operations of Rocky Mountaineer’s Colorado-Utah excursion. While best known for day treks into the Canadian Rockies, this new Rocky Mountaineer route offers patrons a similar mountain canyon experience […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation is proposing to amend its emergency service regulations to allow immediate relief for shippers in situations requiring such action, including clarifying that the board may act on its own initiative to require emergency service. “The rail service challenges shippers are currently experiencing are amplified by certain recent conditions but are […]
Executives from the big four U.S. railroads — BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific — will take turns in the hot seat next week during two days of Surface Transportation Board hearings on widespread service problems. Federal regulators, fed up with ongoing shipper complaints, will want to know how and when the […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has released its schedule for speakers to take part in next week’s hearing regarding urgent issues in freight rail service, to be held at the STB’s hearing room April 26-27. The proceedings will begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT both days. A total of 11 “panels” of speakers are scheduled, […]
PALMETTO, Fla. — A Palmetto company says it working with CSX Transportation to launch intermodal service from SeaPort Manatee, a port at the entrance to Tampa Bay in Palmetto County, to the Northeast. The Bradenton Herald reports Daniel Blazer and his father, Robert Blazer, owners of World Direct Shipping, appeared at Thursday’s meeting of the […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific reported higher first quarter volume, revenue, and profits despite congestion related to crew shortages and rising freight car inventory. “Improving our service product has our full and undivided attention,” CEO Lance Fritz told investors and analysts on the railroad’s Thursday morning earnings call. UP’s on-time performance deteriorated during the quarter. […]
