Fires disrupting CN, CP in British Columbia, UP in California

Canadian National logo

Canadian National and Canadian Pacific main lines in British Columbia are once again both shut down because of wildfires. Meanwhile, in California, Union Pacific is also experiencing additional fire-related disruptions. Container shipper Hapag-Lloyd informed customers on Thursday that CN and CP have halted operations east of Lytton at the request of the B.C. Wildfire Service, […]

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Western Maryland Scenic now operating Amtrak’s last dome car

Full-length dome car with red stripe

CUMBERLAND, Md.  — As tourist railroads and museums emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, they are offering new experiences to attract the public. At the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, this effort has translated into the addition of Amtrak’s last dome car. The Ocean View, built in 1955 and retired by Amtrak in 2019, debuted earlier this […]

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CSX Santa Train won’t run again in 2021

Train greeted by large crowd of people

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — For the second straight year, there will be no CSX Santa Train in the southern Appalachian mountains. Instead, organizers will hold drive-through distribution of gifts at four locations. The train had run for 77 years until it was replaced by the drive-through distribution last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic [see “CSX […]

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Norfolk Southern launches expedited, less-than-carload service

Illustration showing route of Norfolk Southern less-than-carload service

LAKE GENEVA, Wis. — Norfolk Southern has dipped its toes into a market that railroads abandoned decades ago: Expedited less-than-carload service. NS launched the door-to-door service this month as an experiment in the Chicago-Atlanta-Miami corridor. Trucks pick up small loads and deliver them to a rail-served warehouse where the shipments are cross-docked into waiting boxcars. The […]

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Two CN lines in British Columbia shut down by fires (updated)

Canadian National logo

LYTTON, B.C. — Less than 24 hours after Canadian National reopened its fire-damaged main line in British Columbia, that line has been shut down again — as has the former British Columbia Railway line that had been used to reroute some traffic. Bloomberg reports CN informed customers on Wednesday that it was suspending operations between […]

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NTSB expresses concern about STB proposal on trackage rights

National Transportation Safety Board logo

WASHINGTON — In an uncommon move, the National Transportation Safety Board has weighed in on a proposed rule before the Surface Transportation Board, expressing concern about a proposal regarding temporary trackage rights. The proposed rule, requested by the Association of American Railroads, would allow an exemption from the usual process to approve trackage rights to […]

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