Germany has more hydrogen-powered trains in use than any other country, but regular operation has been hit by snags leading to the temporary replacement of the largest fleet by older diesel trains. In mid-December 2024, train manufacturer Alstom —first to build hydrogen-powered passenger trains with its iLINT design, launched in 2014 at the InnoTrans trade […]
CALGARY — Canadian Pacific Kansas City has reached a tentative four-year agreement with United Steelworkers, which represents approximately clerical and intermodal employees in Canada. “We are very pleased to have reached another collective agreement at the bargaining table, our third tentative agreement this year in Canada,” CPKC CEO Keith Creel said in a press release. […]
SACRAMENTO — The start of California high speed rail operations between Bakersfield and Merced is unlikely to meet its current target, according to a new report from the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s Office of Inspector General. The Authority, however, says such a pronouncement is premature. A report released Monday, Feb. 3, indicates that while […]
IOWA CITY, Iowa — A proposal to launch battery-electric commuter train service between Iowa City and North Liberty, Iowa, appears to be dead after the railroad involved said it would not allow use of its trackage. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Railway, or CRANDIC, told those involved with […]
DERBY, England — Ticket sales have resumed for Alstom’s event at its Derby factory celebrating the 200th anniversary of railroading, after initial demand crashed the servers of the third-party ticketing company. A new company is handling the ticketing, the BBC reports. The three-day “Greatest Gathering” event, Aug. 1-3, will open Alstom’s Litchurch Lane Works to […]
CHURCHILL, Manitoba — The Canadian government will provide more than Ca$43 million for rehabilitation of the Hudson Bay Railway, while the province of Manitoba will invest an additional Ca$36.4 million in the railway and the Port of Churchill, the governments announced Tuesday (Feb. 4, 2025). The federal funds will go the Arctic Gateway Group, a […]
EMO, Ontario — Fourteen cars of a Canadian National potash train derailed today (Feb. 4, 2025), the CBC reports. No injuries were reported. The derailment occurred about 7:30 a.m., CN said in a statement to the broadcaster. The railroad said the cause is under investigation. The Township of Emo said in a Facebook post that […]
WASHINGTON — If you thought Federal Railroad Administration grant programs for things like passenger service, shortline track maintenance, and grade crossing elimination projects would be the least likely place to become a front in the culture wars, think again. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Jan. 29 issued a memo ordering Department of Transportation agencies to […]
NEW YORK — The agency overseeing construction of the new rail tunnel connecting New Jersey and Manhattan on Monday awarded a $1.8 billion contract for the connection on the tunnel’s New York side. NorthJersey.com reports that the Gateway Development Commission awarded the contract to a joint venture of Frontier, Kemper, Tutor, and Perini because of […]
WASHINGTON — Four House members have introduced a new version of the Railway Safety Act to mark the second anniversary of the East Palestine derailment that sparked the original legislation. U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) and Michael Rulli (R-Ohio) are sponsoring the new version of the bill, introduced on […]
BALTIMORE — CSX began the long-awaited Howard Street Tunnel clearance project on Saturday (Feb. 1), when the 8,700-foot tunnel was closed to allow crews to remove track as the first step in construction work. “This is a tremendous opportunity to alleviate a restriction on our network and open up new opportunities for CSX,” Ed Sparks, […]
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Agencies in California and Nevada have issued private activity bonds for the Brightline West project, a key element in funding the 218-mile high-speed rail venture between Las Vegas and Southern California. It is not clear whether the start of construction is contingent on obtaining money from the combined $2.5 billion in […]
