PEORIA, Ill. — Two Bartonville, Ill., men have avoided jail time through a plea bargain regarding charges they derailed a Union Pacific locomotive late last year. Jimmy Johnson, 20, and Caleb Finley, 18, pleaded guilty last week to charges of damage to railroad property, a Class 4 felony, WCBU radio reports. They were sentenced in […]
WASHINGTON — DC Metrorail will not be allowed to expand use of Automatic Train Operation, the automated system currently in use on its Red Line, because trains are overshooting station stops too frequently. That was the decision Tuesday at a meeting of the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, the independent agency overseeing rail operations of the […]
PORT CLINTON, Pa. — Reading & Northern T-1 4-8-4 No. 2102 will power a Sept. 13, 2025, steam excursion through Lehigh Gorge sponsored by the Rotary Club of Mountain Top, the railroad has announced. Tickets for the excursion from the R&N’s Penobscot (Mountain Top) station to Jim Thorpe, Pa., and return will go on sale […]
The John Emery Rail Heritage Trust has selected 18 projects for its annual rail preservation grants, awards totaling $250,000. The Trust is the largest in the U.S. that makes 100% of its awards solely for rail restoration purposes It was established by John Emery, a long-time Chicago resident and rail enthusiast who wanted to help […]
CHICAGO — Today (April 9) is the last day for the early-bird registration fee for the North American Rail Shippers conference, to be held May 7-9 in Chicago. CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs leads the list of speakers scheduled to take part in the North American Rail Shippers Conference, set for May 7-9 in Chicago. The […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has launched a new grant program to aid communities hit by last week’s severe storms in the Midwest and South. The Community Disaster Relief Grant Program will provide up to $250,000 to nonprofit organizations assisting residents affected by the storm in the railroad’s operating area, the company has announced. The railroad […]
CUMBERLAND, Md. — Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 is slated to return to operation beginning May 3, powering “Frostburg Flyer” excursions on Saturday and Sundays, the railroad said in an email to customers on Tuesday (April 8, 2025). Plans also call for the locomotive, built by Baldwin in 1949 for the Chesapeake & […]
SAN JOSE, Calif. — SMART-TD has reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract with TransitAmerica Services Inc., contract operator for Caltrain commuter service, the union announced Tuesday (April 8, 2025). The union, the International Asssociation of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division, represents 150 conductors and assistant conductor. The contract, retroactive […]
DENVER — Sierra Northern Railway conducted a successful initial test of its first hydrogen locomotive, a four-axle switcher, in late March, the company announced today (April 8) at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association conference. The initial testing took place March 27 in West Sacramento, Calif. “This accomplishment marks another major milestone in […]
DENVER — Surface Transportation Board Chairman Patrick Fuchs says he is transforming the regulatory agency into a more efficient body that will help support competition and growth for railroads. “We want to break down barriers to growth, encourage competition and elevate the role of markets instead of government,” Fuchs told the American Short Line and […]
WASHINGTON — Genesee & Wyoming short line Central Oregon & Pacific can take over local operations from Union Pacific in Eugene, Ore., as soon as Saturday, federal regulators have ruled. In a unanimous decision today, the Surface Transportation Board denied the SMART-TD union’s request to scrutinize and reject the lease deal. The decision also denied […]
HAY RIVER, Northwest Territories — The Government of the Northwest Territories has asked Canadian federal regulators to examine Canadian National Railway’s decision not to repair its damaged rail line to Hay River, which had been the northernmost point on the North American rail network. Vince McKay, infrastructure minister for the Northwest Territories, said on Monday […]
