WASHINGTON— Federal regulators will determine whether BNSF Railway can use its trackage rights over Union Pacific to reach a new short line railroad in Utah. The Surface Transportation Board yesterday rejected Union Pacific’s request to dismiss the case regarding the Savage Tooele Railroad. Savage held a groundbreaking ceremony in November for the railroad [see “Groundbreaking […]
Rail preservation often comes with challenges, and the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation (ORHF) is no exception. Yet despite challenging times, the organization continues to find times for celebration — especially with the continued success of the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland and the iconic locomotives it protects. The foundation’s story began in the 1990s […]
MOUNT VERNON, Ind. — The Mount Vernon Railroad, a partnership between OmniTRAX and the Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon, marked its grand opening on Tuesday with ceremonies including a ribbon cutting and a visit by local elementary school students to see the two locomotives they named in a context. OmniTRAX will serve as switching operator for the […]
The rumble of Canadian Pacific’s 4-6-4 Empress No. 2816 and Union Pacific’s 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4014 echoed across thousands of miles in 2024. What made these journeys truly remarkable and deserving a brighter spotlight? Both locomotives were equipped with fully compliant, standalone Positive Train Control (PTC) systems. This means they can independently navigate their […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down CSX Transportation’s effort to revive an antitrust lawsuit against Norfolk Southern over access at the port of Norfolk, Va. Reuters reports that the court on Monday (April 21) announced it would decline to hear the case, dismissed last August by a lower court. The 4th U.S. […]
DENVER — The Hall of Fame induction of Iowa Interstate Railroad Chairman Henry Posner III highlighted the railroad’s week at the recent American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association conference in Denver, which also saw Iowa Interstate recognized with two major awards. Posner was inducted into the Short Line Railroad Industry Hall of Fame, along […]
LOS ANGELES — Parallel Systems, the company developing battery-electric railcars that operate autonomously, will launch testing this month on two Georgia railroads, Parallel said on Monday (April 14, 2025). The company also announced it had raised an additional $38 million in funding, bringing its total to date to about $100 million. “Federal Railroad Administration approval […]
CHICAGO — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified a quality-of-life agreement with the Belt Railway of Chicago, the union has announced. Through the agreement, members of the union will for the first time have pald sick days and access to the company’s 401K program. In addition to receiving up to […]
DENVER — There’s a pachyderm of a quandary haunting the executive conference rooms of Class I railroads, and short lines may be the solution. Carload volumes have been falling since 2008-2009, almost a generation’s worth of declines that began with the global financial crisis and accelerated during the fall of coal and the hollowing out […]
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky is awarding more than $3.6 million in state grants under two programs to help fund rail infrastructure projects. The grants, announced Thursday, April 10, include more than $2 million under the Kentucky Industrial Access and Safety Improvements program, which provides 50% of funding for construction, improvement, or rehabilitation of rail lines, […]
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 […]
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 […]
