MEXICO CITY — Construction of two passenger rail lines — Mexico City-Querétaro and Mexico City-Pachuca — will begin in April, the Mexican government’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation (SICT) announced this week. The announcement confirmed a portion of plans announced in November by President Claudia Sheinbaum, who had previously said three routes would see […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National experienced a series of shocks to the system last year, and the fourth quarter was no exception: Profits and revenue declined as disruptive port work stoppages and a cold snap put a lid on traffic volumes. “Now, 2024 was clearly not what we expected and certainly not what we planned,” CEO […]
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers has reached a tentative five-year agreement with the National Carriers Conference Committee, the bargaining group for major railroads, the two sides have announced. The union said terms are comparable to those in separate deals it has ratified with BNSF Railway and CSX Transportation, including a wage increase compounded to […]
WASHINGTON — A Union Pacific Z-train was moving at 64 mph when it collided with a 45.5-ton piece of heavy equipment on a grade crossing in Pecos, Texas, last month, the National Transportation Safety Board said today. The Dec. 18 wreck fatally injured the train’s two crew members, engineer Clay Burt and conductor Phillip Araujo. […]
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City on Wednesday reported higher fourth-quarter profits and revenue as the railway’s merger-related synergies accelerated. “Despite a number of challenges, we delivered on the guidance that we set out at the start of the year, to produce double-digit earnings growth. And we did it safely,” CEO Keith Creel told […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — A rail corridor that would enable Brightline to extend service to Tampa while allowing commuter operator SunRail to link Orlando International Airport and area theme parks has received a funding boost. Commissioners in Seminole County, just north of Orlando, this week voted to contribute $500,000 to a $6 million feasibility study for […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic has experienced its first drop of 2025, with traffic for the week ending Jan. 25 down 2.5% compared to the same week in 2024. According to the Association of American Railroads, volume for the week consisted of 454,797 carloads and intermodal units. That included 189,125 carloads, a decline of […]
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has rescinded its freeze on federal grants, which created confusion regarding a broad variety of government programs, including some in the rail industry. The Washington Post reports that a memo today (Jan. 29, 2025) from Matthew J. Vaeth, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, said an order […]
DENVER — Rail and real estate company OmniTRAX has named David Garin as its board chairman and elected OmniTRAX CEO Dean Piacente to its board, the company announced today. Garin joined the OmniTRAX board in 2019 after 35 years with Class I railroads. That includes 19 years at BNSF Railway, where he oversaw sales and […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern is back. That was the message CEO Mark George and the railroad’s executive team delivered on the fourth-quarter earnings call today (Jan. 29, 2025), where they emphasized how operational improvements helped NS meet or exceed the financial targets it set amid last year’s nasty proxy battle with activist investor Ancora Holdings. […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California state legislator has introduced a bill seeking to halt funding for California’s high speed rail project from the state’s greenhouse gas program and direct $1 billion annually to wildfire prevention and water projects. Assembly Bill 267 was introduced by Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo (R-Tulare, Calif.) on Jan. 17. It calls for […]
WASHINGTON — Sean Duffy was confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Transportation today (Jan. 28, 2025) by a 77-22 vote of the Senate. The nomination of Duffy, a former House member from Wisconsin and recently a Fox News and Fox Business host, had been advanced last week by a 28-0 vote of the Commerce, Science and […]
