Analysis: STB chairman flags railroad growth problem

Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman ruffled some feathers this month when he said railroads’ drive for ever-increasing profits resulted in a loss of market share to trucks over the past 15 years and continues to restrain growth today. Oberman cited STB figures that show a decline in rail traffic between 2006 and 2019 […]

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Progress Rail, Norfolk Southern unveil first GP34ECO

Black and green locomotive

Progress Rail and Norfolk Southern have unveiled the first GP34ECO locomotive, built for yard and intermediate operations to meet Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 emission standards. The locomotive, intended to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 90% compared to older locomotives, is currently undergoing testing for EPA certification. It is powered by a 3,000-hp 12-710 EMD […]

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Weekly U.S. rail traffic remains below 2020 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. rail traffic by commodity and intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — Reduced intermodal traffic continued to drop weekly U.S. rail volume below 2020 levels, despite an increase in carloads, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending Sept. 25, U.S. railroads moved 511,713 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.3% from the corresponding week in 2020. That included […]

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Toronto prepares to open new light rail line in 2022 (corrected)

Black and white light rail trainset on tracks in center of roadway

TORONTO — The next generation of transit in Canada’s largest city is expected to debut in 2022 when the Eglinton Crosstown light rail line begins service. The 19-kilometer (11.8-mile) east-west line will traverse the mid-section of Toronto along Eglinton Avenue, through densely packed residential and commercial neighborhoods both at grade and with 10 kilometers (6.2 […]

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Widow of Empire Builder derailment victim sues Amtrak, BNSF

Bilevel passenger train rolls through grade crossing under construction

CHICAGO — The widow of a man killed in Saturday’s Empire Builder derailment in Montana has filed suit against Amtrak and BNSF railway for their alleged role in her husband’s death. Courthouse News Service reports Rebecca Schneider, wife of 28-year-old victim Zach Schneider, filed suit Tuesday in federal court in Chicago for unspecified damages. Zach […]

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BNSF Northern Transcon reopens after Empire Builder derailment

BNSF Railway logo

JOPLIN, Mont. — BNSF Railway’s busy Hi Line Subdivision is open again following the derailment of Amtrak’s Empire Builder over the weekend. According to KHQ News, a local NBC affiliate, the first BNSF freight train to pass through the community of Joplin, Montana, since Saturday’s derailment arrived just after 4 a.m. Tuesday. The train is […]

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