[…]
Minnesota identity crisis
Railroad: Short Lines/Regionals
Merger application details CN’s plans for Iowa Northern Railway
WASHINGTON — Canadian National’s proposed acquisition of the 218-mile Iowa Northern Railway will boost rail competition, divert freight off the highway, and give Iowa shippers broader access to single-line service, CN says in a merger application filed this week with the Surface Transportation Board. CN spent $230 million to acquire the Class III railroad from […]
Northern California short lines receive $31.4 federal loan
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation has extended a $31.4 million Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing loan to the Sierra Northern Railway and Mendocino Railway for infrastructure improvement work, DOT’s Build America Bureau announced on Monday. Funding will finance almost 100% of work including expansion of 6.7 miles of Sierra Northern’s Oakdale Branch for […]
Short line to be launched at Port of West Virginia
FOLLANSBEE, W.Va — Empire Diversified Energy, a holding company involved in sustainable energy and logistics, will establish a short line railroad to serve the Port of West Virginia, the company announced Wednesday. Empire River Rail intends to be a clean-energy system and is part of the effort to make the port in Follansbee, on the […]
Forest Service deals blow to Uinta Basin Railway
SALT LAKE CITY — In a blow to its efforts to construct a new railroad, on Jan. 17, the U.S. Forest Service withdrew its approval of a right-of-way permit allowing construction of the Uinta Basin Railway through about 12 miles of protected forest in northeastern Utah, the Associated Press reported. The Uinta Basin Rail project […]
Florida East Coast Railway unveils multiple paint schemes
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — The new year brings two new looks for the Florida East Coast Railway. A paint scheme unveiling for employees and invited guests took place at the Class II’s locomotive facility on Jan. 18, 2024. GE ES44C4 Nos. 816 and 820 debuted in what is to be the new official look […]
Regional Rail, LLC acquires new locomotives for Great Sandhills Railway
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Great Sandhills Railway SD38-2 No. 2022 rolled out of Metro East Industries’ paint shop on Jan. 17, wearing a bright green and yellow paint scheme that it and sister unit No. 2009 will share. The new image bears a striking resemblance to the Reading Co.’s final paint scheme of the […]
G&W outlines locomotive rebuilding and fuel-conservation efforts
DARIEN, Conn. – Genesee & Wyoming’s latest sustainability report outlines how locomotive modernizations and other fuel-saving efforts will help reduce the carbon footprint of its more than 100 short line railroads. “We are committed to upgrading our locomotives and improving the performance of our existing fleet to reduce carbon emissions,” says the report, which was […]
FRA seeks public comment on proposed autonomous railcar test program
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration is seeking public comments on Genesee & Wyoming short lines’ request to test Parallel Systems autonomous, self-propelled battery-electric freight cars. The FRA, in a decision published in the Federal Register today, said it has accepted the Georgia Central Railway and Heart of Georgia Railroad petition for a test program […]
NTSB to investigate rail worker death in Ohio
JEWETT, Ohio — The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct an investigation after a railroad worker was killed Monday in Jewett, the agency announced Monday. WOIO-TV reports the worker was an employee for the Columbus & Ohio River Rail Road, a Genesee & Wyoming property, and quoted a statement from the parent company said its […]
Western Maryland Scenic to expand through lease of short line
CUMBERLAND, Md. — The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad has signed a long-term lease to acquire the Georges Creek Railway, a dormant short line in Maryland’s southwestern Allegany County, which the railroad plans to use for “passenger and potential freight opportunities,” according to a press release. The newly acquired line will be known as Western Maryland […]
Virginia sand mine, anchor for Winchester & Western traffic for 80 years, to close
GORE, Va. — A sand mine that has provided the majority of carload traffic for the original main line of the Winchester & Western Railroad for 80 years is preparing to close, with an uncertain impact on what is now the railroad’s Virginia Division. The Winchester Star reports the mine in Gore stopped accepting orders […]
