Anthracite hauler Reading Co. 2-10-2 3012 leads a train of anthracite along the Schuylkill River at Tamaqua, Pa., in July 1953. RDG’s 20 K-1’s were the heaviest Santa Fe types ever built. Classic Trains collection […]
Anthracite hauler
Type of Train: Freight
Analysis: China’s ban on Australian coal is benefiting U.S. railroads
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Railroads are benefiting from China’s continued appetite for U.S. coal as America exports coal to China in volumes unseen in much of the past decade. American coal producers are supplying China for electricity generation and steelmaking due to a now year-long unofficial ban China imposed on Australia. In late 2020, China quit […]
Construction contract for South Shore double track project approved
CHESTERTON, Ind. — After its first effort to find a contractor was halted because bids far exceeded expectations, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District board of directors has approved a contract for construction of the South Shore Double Track project, which will add a second main line between Gary and Michigan City, Ind. The Times […]
Orders at Clare
Orders at Clare At the joint Chesapeake & Ohio-Ann Arbor depot in Clare, Mich., the engineer on Toledo–Frankfort freight TF-1, behind two GP35s, reaches to pick up orders in May 1966. John S. Ingles photo, Brian Schmidt collection […]
Federal regulators ask Norfolk Southern to respond to shipper complaints
WASHINGTON – Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman today asked Norfolk Southern CEO Jim Squires to explain the railroad’s deteriorating performance metrics and rising number of shipper complaints. “I am requesting that you provide the Board with a review of the current state of NSR’s network, and your assessment of what factors are affecting NSR’s […]
Federal regulators formally accept CP-KCS merger application
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators have accepted the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger application and set a timetable for review of the first proposed merger of Class I railroads in two decades. In accepting the application today, the Surface Transportation Board rejected Union Pacific’s contention that CP and KCS failed to provide sufficient information about the […]
CP line in British Columbia expected to reopen today
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific says it expects to have its main line between Vancouver and Kamloops, British Columbia, reopened by midday today as a result of more than a week of around-the-clock work to repair damage from Nov. 14 flooding. The railroad says 30 locations on its Thompson and Cascade subdivisions sustained flood damage […]
Train crew shortage spreads to short lines
NEW YORK — Train crew shortages that have affected service on Class I railroads this year also have cropped up on short lines, as rail workers seek greener pastures and new hires are hard to find. Genesee & Wyoming, the largest shortline holding company, saw the number of employees leaving the railroad double in the third […]
Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific spar over KCS merger (updated)
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has urged federal regulators to reject the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger application, arguing that it doesn’t contain enough market or operational data to meet requirements — a view subsequently supported by Canadian National. UP, in a filing with the Surface Transportation Board late Friday, said CP took shortcuts in its […]
The future of the rail industry is up for grabs, consultant says
NEW YORK — Railroads have a stark choice. They can maintain their focus on the operating ratio, continue to bleed traffic to the highway, and lose $177 billion in revenue by 2030. Along the way railroads would shrink in line with declining volume, meaning track would be torn up, real estate sold off, railcars scrapped, […]
CP says it could have British Columbia rail line reopened by midweek
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — With flood damage to road and rail lines still cutting much of the province off from the rest of Canada, British Columbia has begun rationing gasoline and instituted travel restrictions that will prohibit vehicle traffic on some key highways to commercial transport of essentials such as food, water, and medical supplies. […]
Virginia port to double rail capacity, add additional cranes
NORFOLK, Va. — The Port of Virginia’s board of directors has approved a $61.5 million contract to double the size of the Central Rail Yard at the Norfolk International Terminals. WAVY-TV reports the board also approved an $18 million contract for up to three cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes and related systems. The two projects will […]
