PITTSBURGH — Norfolk Southern and the state of Pennsylvania are finalizing an agreement for up to $170.8 million in infrastructure improvements that will allow a second daily Amtrak train between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, a route currently served by the Pittsburgh-New York Pennsylvanian. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the deal was announced at a Friday press conference […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has named Paul Duncan as vice president, network planning and operations. Duncan will succeed John Friedmann, who previously announced his retirement after 27 years at NS. Duncan is currently vice president of service design and performance at BNSF Railway. He joined BNSF in 2002. In an email announcing the hire, Chief […]
SAULT STE. MARIE, Ontario — The chief of a First Nation group is planning a meeting with Watco management to discuss possible resurrection of passenger service on the transportation company’s newly acquired Algoma Central Railway. Missanabie Cree First Nation Chief Jason Gauthier tells the Sault Star newspaper that he is “confident” the new owner of […]
NEW YORK — An Amtrak Acela train bound from Boston to New York was stalled on the Northeast Corridor for more than seven hours after losing power on Monday, the Associated Press reports. Train No. 2151 left Boston at 5:05 a.m. but lost power in the Hunter’s Point neighborhood of Queens at 8:37 a.m., 10 […]
NIEBÜLL, Germany — Railroad Development Corp. — the Pittsburgh-based parent company of Iowa Interstate Railroad, as well as rail operations in Peru, Germany, France, England, and Belgium — has bought a controlling share in a short line freight and passenger operator in northwest Germany. RDC purchased the majority share in Norddeutschen Eisenbahn Niebüll GmbH, or […]
LOS ANGELES — LA Metro has become the latest transit agency to announce service cuts related to staffing shortages, with trims to rail and bus service set to begin Feb. 20. Metro’s board approved the cuts Jan. 27, with a goal of resuming full service no later than June. “The recent COVID-19 spike, combined with […]
CHICAGO — On the day Amtrak placed its first Siemens ALC42 locomotives into revenue service — although not without some problems — the company announced it will acquire more of the locomotives. In a event at Chicago Union Station, Amtrak Vice President and Chief Mechanical Officer George Hull used the operating debut of the two […]
WASHINGTON — Canadian National is making a bold claim: It will take more trucks off the highway than what’s projected for the entire Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger if regulators force divestiture of the KCS line linking Springfield, Ill., and Kansas City. CN told the Surface Transportation Board last month that it intended to file […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — A Brightline train has arrived in Orlando for the first time. The new “Bright Blue 2” trainset was delivered to the passenger operator’s Vehicle Maintenance Facility, nearing completion. The facility is near Orlando International Airport, the northern terminus for the extension of service planned in 2023. “To see these trains begin to […]
OTTAWA — The Canadian government has announced plans to require its own version of positive train control, which it is calling Enhanced Train Control. Transport Canada has published a Notice of Intent to implement the safety system, which is intended to ensure trains comply with trackside signaling and speed limits and avoid collisions. In the […]
WASHINGTON — There are now dueling petitions over Amtrak’s effort to launch Gulf Coast passenger service. CSX Transportation last week asked shippers to sign a petition or send letters to the Surface Transportation Board in support of its position opposing Gulf Coast service unless Amtrak pays for extensive infrastructure work [see “CSX seeks shipper support […]
WASHINGTON— More than a dozen rail shippers and trade associations from across North America have written to federal regulators to express concern about how proposed Amtrak service on the Gulf Coast could harm freight service between Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans. Most of the submissions are form letters that urge the Surface Transportation Board to […]
