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What a week this was for unexpected twists and turns in the Class I railroad merger landscape. First, on Monday Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett said the company would not bid on CSX or Norfolk Southern, which had been viewed as potential merger partners for the Berkshire-owned BNSF Railway. A BNSF-CSX combination, in particular, had […]
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — After an engaged community discussion, the city council voted Aug. 26, to retain Western Maryland 4-6-2 No. 202, rejecting a proposal to donate the locomotive to the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. The debate drew lines in the Western Maryland community over the cost of restoration and responsibility for care versus seeing the […]
PITTSBURGH — Wabtec this week introduced its EVO Advantage engine, which features eTurbo technology that improves fuel efficiency by as much as 7%. The EVO Advantage — which is currently undergoing extensive field testing — will be available for Evolution series Tier 3 and Tier 4 locomotive modernizations, the manufacturer said this week. “The heart […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has added 15 new Focus Sites in eight states, with a dozen of the large-scale development properties located on connecting short line railroads. UP’s 39 Focus Sites generally include 125 or more acres that are suited for custom-built warehouses or industrial facilities. “Our partnerships with short line railroads are helping […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has opened a nine-mile stretch of second main track in Southern California to support premium intermodal service out of its Inland Empire Intermodal Terminal at West Colton Yard. The work, between South Fontana and Bon View, Calif., on the Alhambra Subdivision, included installation of double track, rebuilding two bridges and […]
Thirty years after its grand opening as a unit of the National Park Service, Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pa., is at a crossroads. Whether you admire or disdain it, know nothing about it, or simply hope for its survival, it remains a significant railroad preservation effort. Steamtown has the potential to expand the […]
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Let’s get something straight: Amtrak’s NextGen Acela trainsets that began revenue service with two Northeast Corridor round-trips between Washington and Boston on Thursday are shiny new objects worthy of the hype. The trains incorporate four decades of Alstom’s TGV technology and are destined to fully replace 25-year-old Acela equipment introduced in […]
SEATTLE — Sound Transit will open the next segment of its Link light rail system — the 1 Line extension to Federal Way, Wash. — on Dec. 6, the agency announced today (Aug. 28, 2025). The 7.8-mile addition will include new stations at Kent Des Moins, Star Lake, and Federal Way Downtown. “Today’s announcement on […]
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department yesterday urged the Surface Transportation Board to closely scrutinize Norfolk Southern’s bid for full control of the Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line, warning that the move could choke off competition at one of the Port of Virginia’s intermodal terminals. The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division said the 129-year-old Belt Line — […]
CHICAGO — Transportation relevance of Midwest passenger trains has been growing, according to a \policy brief released today by De Paul University’s Chaddick Institute of Metropolitan Development. But the document says that growth is set for a slowdown if states don’t step up investment in more capacity and frequencies. Professor Joseph Schwieterman, who regularly follows […]
CHICAGO — Metra service on the Milwaukee North, Milwaukee West, and North Central lines was disrupted for about two hours during the evening rush on Wednesday (Aug. 27, 2025) by a minor derailment. Service is operating normally this morning. Video from WBBM-TV shows the front wheels of SD70MACH No. 515 off the track near Canal […]
Given the dangers inherent in the railroad industry, it’s no surprise the slogan “Safety First” has a long history with railroading, appearing on posters, signs, and other safety materials — and even turntable bridges like this one in the western Nebraska community of Chadron. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the first recorded use of […]
