WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation CEO Jim Foote has told federal regulators that while his railroad’s service is not where he’d like it to be, the company has not seen a spike in customer complaints and is hiring as fast as it can to alleviate ongoing crew shortages. Foote was responding to Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific’s international intermodal traffic between the congested ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and inland terminals is approaching normal levels despite the ongoing backlog of ships waiting to dock at North America’s busiest port complex. “We are essentially normal in our international supply chain on Union Pacific from ports to intermodal […]
SEATTLE — Almost four years after the derailment that halted its use, Amtrak trains will return to the Point Defiance bypass south of Tacoma, Wash., on Thursday, Nov. 18. Initially, eight trains — the Amtrak Cascades service and the Coast Starlight — will use the 14.5-mile inland route, which parallels Interstate 5. It departs from […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — O-Train Confederation Line light rail service is expected to begin running on a limited basis as of Friday, the CBC reports, with full service restored by the end of the month. Service will begin with seven trainsets, with an additional set train as a spare, with the number of active trains gradually […]
MIAMI, Fla. — After an absence of about 20 months, Brightline service resumed between Miami and West Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday, with the passenger operator offering discount fares, gearing up its door-to-door service plan [see “‘Brightline+’ app to enable door-to-door trip ticketing,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 27, 2021]. Opening-day service was marred by a […]
WINTER PARK, Colo. — Amtrak’s Winter Park Express ski train service will return in January, launching 12 weeks of Friday-Saturday-Sunday service between Denver and the Winter Park Resort. Service begins the weekend of Jan. 14-16 and will continue through the weekend of April 1-3, with one-way fares beginning at $29, and fares for kids ages […]
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada will add a second weekly round trip of its Montreal-Halifax train, the Ocean, beginning Dec. 8. “The return of this second frequency of the Ocean is good news for our passengers who now have more travel options in time for the holiday season,” Cynthia Garneau, VIA president and CEO, said […]
WASHINGTON — The infrastructure bill passed by Congress will advance more than a dozen priorities of the National Transportation Safety Board, according to NTSB’s chair. “This is a very big win for transportation safety,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a Monday press release. “From protecting vulnerable road users to equipping vehicles with advanced drunk […]
WASHINGTON—The $66 billion set aside for passenger rail in the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act holds the promise of jumpstarting projects across the country, but the Federal Railroad Administration still must develop criteria to prioritize which investments receive funding. Those criteria are will have to be determined in the next 180 days, but […]
WASHINGTON – The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature includes significant spending for rail-related projects through 2026, from grants to shore up short line track to a study of Class I railroads’ use of long trains. Amtrak will receive the lion’s share of the rail funding, some $66 billion that would address […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has become the third Class I railroad to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for workers, citing the Biden Administration’s executive order requiring vaccinations for federal contractors. “While we maintain the decision to be vaccinated for COVID-19 is a personal one — and have encouraged employees to make the decision that is […]
WATERBURY, Conn. — Metro-North Railroad has eliminated the last “dark territory” Manual Block System segment on its 271-mile commuter rail system, activating Centralized Traffic Control on its 27-mile branch between Devon and Waterbury. The system was activated at 6 a.m. on Nov. 7. After a weekend shutdown of the line for final testing, regular revenue passenger […]
