May 2023

Trains May cover 2023

In every issue News p. 4 Ukraine’s railways are an increasingly vital lifeline in that war-torn nation Preservation p. 40 Narrow gauge steam returns to the historic East Broad Top Ask Trains p. 50 Do European passenger trains face the same freight traffic delays as the U.S.? […]

Read More…

CPKC to handle Schneider’s cross-border intermodal shipments between the Midwest and Mexico

CALGARY, Alberta – CPKC has landed a multi-year contract to handle Schneider National’s intermodal traffic between the U.S. and Mexico. The announcement today – which comes just a week after the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern combination became effective – backs up pre-merger projections that CPKC’s single-line service would enable it to compete in the Chicago-Mexico […]

Read More…

Canadian government approves major West Coast container terminal

Illustration of proposed intermodal terminal on artificial island

DELTA, British Columbia — The Canadian government announced Thursday it has approved a C$3.5 billion project to build a new West Coast container terminal, subject to some 370 legally binding conditions, the Globe and Mail newspaper reports. The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project, which has been in development for more than a dozen years, involves […]

Read More…

NTSB issues report on 2021 maintenance worker fatality in Texas

Rail-mounted treaded-tractor with boom attachment

WASHINGTON — The use of a piece of maintenance-of-way equipment to move steel grating panels, with an attachment not designed for that purpose, was the probable cause of a September 2021 fatality involving a contract worker on the Union Pacific near Castroville, Texas, according to a National Transportation Safety Board accident report issued Thursday. The […]

Read More…

Travel: A visit to the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum

silver with red and black train

Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum WELCOME to the first of my monthly travel investigations, where I’ll explore a great railroad journey, a special destination, or a historic experience. I plan to visit some of the most interesting railroads operating today, while also leading Trains readers down less-traveled paths to seek out the hidden gems of railroading. […]

Read More…

CSX earnings improve as service improvements boost merchandise traffic

Train with blue and yellow locomotive coming out of tunnel

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Record on-time performance for carload shipments helped CSX Transportation gain merchandise traffic that contributed to higher first quarter revenue and profits. “With sufficient resources in place, we are able to use the benefits of our scheduled railroading model to deliver improvements in our customer service performance that are driving real, tangible financial […]

Read More…

Sound Transit to receive $154 million federal loan

Light rail train at elevated station with construction equipment

SEATTLE – Sound Transit will receive a $154 million loan to finance the South Sounder Access Improvement Project, including construction of new parking garages at three Sounder commuter rail stations: Puyallup, Sumner, and Auburn, Wash. The loan comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) program created in 1998 to […]

Read More…