MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — Counties in Washington state that rely on BNSF Railway trains to remove garbage have asked for congressional help in dealing with unreliable service from the railroad. The website GoSkagit.com reports that Skagit County Public Works Director Grace Kane says the county’s trash transfer station was last closed on July 11 because […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak has canceled plans to offer Polar Express holiday rides from Chicago Union Station in 2022, citing ongoing staff shortages. A message on the Polar Express Union Station Facebook page cites “a system-wide shortage of railroad personnel” that means there are not enough crews to operate the trains. “We have enjoyed operating the […]
NEW YORK — Nine Amtrak executives received bonuses of $200,000 or more in 2021 despite lower ridership and revenue in the wake of the COViD-19 pandemic, after none were awarded in 2020, the New York Times has reported. Six people received bonuses of $200,000 or more in pre-pandemic 2019. There were also no bonuses awarded […]
Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman says railroad service is suffering for one simple reason: The big four U.S. Class I systems aren’t paying enough to retain and recruit train crews. BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific are experiencing ongoing crew shortages that since last year have caused widespread congestion and […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Two of 11 weekday Amtrak round trips between Sacramento and Oakland’s Jack London Square station will be suspended beginning Aug. 15 by the operating agency, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority. The suspensions are scheduled to last through Oct. 2. An announcement to riders says the “service reduction is necessary due to […]
DAVENPORT, Iowa — A former mayor of Davenport is urging the city to turn down its tentative $10 million agreement with Canadian Pacific and organize a regional effort to block the railroad’s proposed merger with Kansas City Southern. Meanwhile, the city of Muscatine, some 30 miles southwest along the Mississippi River, has approved a $3 […]
WASHINGTON — The independent agency which oversees DC Metrorail safety issues has ordered the transit operator to inspect, clean, and maintain control rooms at its stations, saying Metro has failed to live up to its pledge to do so. The Washington Post reports the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission conducted inspections of control rooms across the […]
WASHINGTON — When veteran Union Pacific locomotive engineer Michael Lindsey II looks at the industry he loves, he doesn’t like what he sees. So he has become outspoken on issues ranging from crew shortages and ongoing service problems to labor contracts and railroad regulation. He’s written two letters to the Surface Transportation Board this year. […]
CLEVELAND — The union representing train dispatchers has authorized a strike in the event a new labor agreement is not reached under provisions of the Railway Labor Act, which currently has the contract dispute in the hands of a Presidential Emergency Board. The American Train Dispatchers Association says in a statement that over 99% of […]
BOSTON — The Boston area is scrambling to prepare for the 30-day shutdown of the rapid transit Orange Line, a move that officials are casting as a necessary evil. The Boston Globe reports Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said during a Wednesday news conference that the shutdown will allow the MBTA to accomplish in 30 days […]
EAST GALESBURG, Ill. — BNSF Railway has told customers it expects to reopen one of two tracks this morning (Thursday, Aug. 4) on its Southern Transcon main line at the site of a Tuesday derailment in East Galesburg. In an advisory to customers Wednesday evening, the railroad estimated Track 1 would reopen at 8 a.m. […]
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The governments of Canada and the province of Manitoba will invest C$147.8 million to upgrade the Hudson Bay Railway, the only year-round ground transportation link to the isolated community of Churchill, Man., which is also Canada’s lone arctic port. The Canadian Press reports the new funds are in addition to the C$157 […]
