TULSA, Okla. — OmniTRAX has been named excusive rail partner for the Tulsa Port of Catoosa, an inland port which provides barge access to the central U.S. The long-term agreement became effective Aug. 18. The new Port of Catoosa Industrial Railroad becomes the second OmniTRAX property in Oklahoma, and in the Tulsa area, joining the […]
BOSTON — The Boston area’s first weekday commute since the shutdown of the rapid transit Orange Line went relatively smoothly Monday, according to news reports, with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority gearing up repair work along the 11-mile line that will be closed for 30 days. Boston.com reports that MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak, in […]
KINGSPORT, Tenn. — For the third year in a row, the CSX Santa Train, a legacy of predecessor Clinchfield Railroad, will be sidelined — this time because of staffing and supply-chain issues. The Kingsport Times News reports the 110-mile trip from Kentucky to Kingsport will miss what would have been its 80th anniversary edition. As […]
CHICAGO — Railroads have an advantage over trucks when customers’ shipments have to travel a great distance. Long-haul business is preferred by railroads, aligning with the industry’s focus of moving carloads across the network as efficiently as possible on fewer, longer trains. Shorter moves require the same amount of switching, but don’t necessarily produce the […]
MILWAUKEE — The state of Wisconsin has filed a brief document with the Federal Transit Administration in support of a private corporation’s plan to provide commuter rail service between Milwaukee and Kenosha, Wis. — a long-discussed but moribund project dating to 1998. The two-page “Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Commuter Rail Project Development Profile” was filed by the Wisconsin […]
READING, Pa. — The recently created agency to revive passenger rail service between Reading and Philadelphia has selected a consultant for the project. Patch.com reports the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority voted to employ Washington, D.C., based Transportation for America as consultant, subject to review of the contract by the authority’s solicitor. Transportation Economics & […]
German rail network operators will be able to override existing contracts to prioritize the transport of oil and coal for power generation — potentially delaying passenger and other freight service — under a draft emergency law published last week by the German government. The rule also covers moves of heavy equipment, such as transformers, needed […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak continues to have difficulty operating its full slate of state-supported trains from its Chicago hub, although the reasons for the issues vary. On Sunday, train No. 364, the Blue Water to Port Huron, Mich., and Chicago-Pontiac, Mich., Wolverine No. 354 were combined between Chicago and Battle Creek, Mich. The trains departed Chicago […]
MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has begun service to its newest Regional Rail Station, at the same time it has introduced new schedules. The new Wawa Station at 1490 W. Baltimore Pike in Media, Pa., is the southwestern endpoint of what is now the Media/Wawa line (formerly Media/Elwyn), and carries the […]
KENT, Wash. — The opening of several Sound Transit light rail extension projects will be delayed a several months to more than a year because of various construction issues, the board for the Seattle-area agency was told last week. The Seattle Times reports the East Link project, a line from downtown to Bellevue and Redmond, […]
Thomas T. “Tom” Taber III, 93, of Muncy, Pa., author of numerous railroad books, died Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022, at Hillside Senior Living Center in Montoursville, Pa. A Life Member of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, he had been active in the organization since his childhood when he accompanied his father, Thomas T. Taber, […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California High-Speed Rail Authority has completed environmental clearance for the Northern California portion of its route — and for 420 miles of the entire 500-mile route from San Francisco to Los Angeles and Anaheim — after certifying the environmental documents for the San Francisco-San Jose section. The final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental […]
