WASHINGTON – A new short line is seeking regulatory approval to build a rail and highway bridge over the Rio Grande at the Eagle Pass, Texas, gateway. Green Eagle Railroad, a subsidiary of Puerto Verde Holdings, aims to build a new 19.12-mile secure cross-border corridor that includes 1.335 miles of double track between Union Pacific’s […]
MISSOULA, Mont. — Wildlife conservation groups have sued BNSF Railway, saying the railroad’s trains are violating the Endangered Species Act by hitting and killing grizzly bears. The lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Missoula by WildEarth Guardians and the Western Watersheds Project says 63 grizzly bears have been killed by BNSF trains in […]
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway this week asked federal regulators to ensure that it can use its trackage rights over Union Pacific to interchange with a proposed new short line railway in Utah. UP last month sought Surface Transportation Board permission to reinstitute common-carrier service over a 1.04-mile section of the abandoned Warner Branch. The connecting […]
Santa Fe Super Fleet Virtually anyone these days with an interest in the industry knows what the term Super Fleet means. It’s the iconic red-and-silver warbonnet paint scheme worn by new Santa Fe locomotives during the twilight of the company’s existence. First applied to a Santa Fe locomotive in the late 1930s, the design graced […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has selected 10 projects for grants under its Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program, according to a list released today (Friday, Dec. 8) on the FRA website. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the grants in a press release that linked those awards with the selection of […]
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway will receive a federal grant for $14.9 million toward infrastructure improvements in and around Malta, Mont., U.S. Sen. Jon Tester announced Thursday. The money, from the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program, is to improve service on the route of the Empire Builder. Specifically, it will help with final […]
It’s hard to say when a trend becomes a trend. But yesterday’s announcement that Canadian National will acquire the 253-mile Iowa Northern Railway suggests that short lines and regionals getting gobbled up by Class I railroads is now a thing. Since 2020, Class I railroads have reached a half-dozen deals with short lines and regional […]
Embark on a captivating journey through the picturesque landscapes of Big Sky country during Summer 2023. Join railfan/videographer Tom Danneman on a railfanning adventure along Montana Rail Link (MRL), capturing the essence of the railroad “Blues” before its imminent takeover by BNSF. Witness unexpected turns, like a bridge collapse in Reed Point and rare train […]
Embark on a captivating journey through the picturesque landscapes of Big Sky country during Summer 2023. Join railfan/videographer Tom Danneman on a railfanning adventure along Montana Rail Link (MRL), capturing the essence of the railroad “Blues” before its imminent takeover by BNSF. Witness unexpected turns, like a bridge collapse in Reed Point and rare train […]
DELTA, British Columbia — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating a collision and derailment involving two BNSF Railway trains that occurred early today (Sunday, Nov. 19) in Delta, the CBC reports. Railroad spokeswoman Lena Kent told the CBC two locomotives and five cars derailed in the incident at about 2:30 a.m. A small […]
NEW YORK — Canadian Pacific Kansas City CEO Keith Creel is not the least bit surprised at how rival Class I railroads have responded to the CP-KCS merger by launching new and faster cross-border intermodal service. “We’re creating competition and this industry is getting stronger as a result,” Creel told the RailTrends conference on Thursday. […]
BISMARCK, N.D. — The fight over the future of BNSF Railway’s Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge over the Missouri River was back in front of the North Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday, as the court heard arguments on a preservation group’s effort to overturn state permits allowing construction of a new bridge to proceed. The group Friends […]
