Strike shuts down NJ Transit rail service

Train at station

NEWARK, N.J. — Almost two years after voting to do so, NJ Transit locomotive engineers launched a strike today (Friday, May 16) at 12:01 a.m., leaving some 350,000 daily riders without their normal way to and from work. The strike shut down the agency’s 12 commuter rail lines, serving some 166 stations. Buses and light […]

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MBTA, Keolis testing renewable fuel for commuter-rail diesels

MBTA commuter train on bridge

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and its contract operator, Keolis Commuter Services, have begun a pilot program using renewable diesel fuel for some locomotives on the MBTA commuter rail network. The program, announced earlier this week, involves locomotives that layover at Newburyport, Mass., facility at the end of Newburyport branch on the MBTA’s […]

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Pacific Harbor Line honored for role in global trade

Two black and silver locomotives with strings of containers

WILMINGTON, Calif. — Pacific Harbor Line, the Anacosta Rail Holdings railroad serving the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, has been named as the recipient of the Bob Kleist Leadership Award for 2025 during the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce’s World Trade Week celebration. The award named for Kleist, a leader in international […]

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FRA invites Musk firm Boring Co. to advise on Baltimore tunnel already under construction: news report

Two railroad tracks exiting one tunnel and entering another

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration is seeking input from tunneling firm Boring Co., founded and controlled by Elon Musk, regarding construction of a new Northeast Corridor rail tunnel in Baltimore for which Amtrak has already begun construction activities. The news comes shortly after Amtrak’s decision to eliminate or not fill 450 managerial positions. Earlier […]

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CSX reopens flood-damage trackage around Cumberland, Md.

CSX logo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX was able to repair flood damage to former Baltimore & Ohio main lines in the Cumberland, Md., area overnight, allowing freight and Amtrak service to resume. The CSX routes sustained damage during heavy rainstorms on Tuesday [see “Flooding knocks out key CSX routes …,” Trains News Wire, May 15, 2025]. “We’re […]

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Railroads expecting Chinese import traffic to bounce back

Two container ships at port

NEW YORK — Union Pacific, Canadian National, and CPKC executives are expecting a quick rebound in Chinese exports to the U.S. thanks to the temporary tariff reductions announced this week. U.S. importers had largely paused their orders from China after the Trump administration raised tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% last month. This created a […]

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CN sets 2025 capital spending plan

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway plans to spend Ca$3.4 billion ($2.43 billion U.S.) under its capital spending plan for 2025, including Ca$2.9 billion ($2.07 billion) for maintenance and infrastructure improvements. “At CN, we believe investing in our network is investing in the future of North American supply chains,” CEO Tracy Robinson said in a press […]

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U.S. weekly rail traffic continues to run ahead of 2024 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — With carload and intermodal traffic both up, weekly U.S. rail traffic remains head of 2024 levels, according to the Association of American Railroads. Statistics for the week ending May 10, 2025, show overall U.S. volume 495,552 carloads and intermodal units, a 5.7% increase over the same week a year earlier. That includes 222,238 […]

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Flooding knocks out key CSX routes in the Cumberland, Md., area

CSX logo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Severe flooding that hit the Cumberland, Md., area on Tuesday has shut down key CSX routes, the railroad said in a customer service alert today. Among the routes affected: The former Baltimore & Ohio main line linking Baltimore and Pittsburgh, which has taken on increased importance as a detour route for traffic […]

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Bill seeks to tighten prohibition on federal funding for transit equipment from China

Subway train at station

WASHINGTON — Legislation announced in Congress this week would bar federal funding for Chinese-built railcars and buses, tightening an existing prohibition. Six senators — three Republicans and three Democrats — announced the “Safebuarding Transit Operations to Prohibit China, or STOP China, Act. It would prohibit the use of Department of Transportation funding for the purchase […]

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