WASHINGTON — A coalition of environmental groups have sued the Surface Transportation Board, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and federal government over the STB’s approval of Utah’s Uinta Basin Railway project. The suit filed Friday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by the Center for Biological Diversity and four […]
SULTAN, Wash. — The star-crossed first revenue round trip for Amtrak’s new ALC42 Charger locomotives has not gotten any better on the return leg from the Pacific Northwest. Charger locomotives Nos. 301 and 302 led the eastbound Empire Builder out of Seattle on Saturday, but reports of continued positive train control issues with No. 301 […]
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The first test train on a new 9-mile rail line connecting Redlands, Calif., to the Metrolink commuter rail system is slated to run on Wednesday, the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority has announced. The Redlands Daily Facts reports that the initial run will not be by one of the diesel multiple […]
CALGARY — Canadian conservation groups are expressing concerns over a proposed Calgary-Banff rail service, saying they’re concerned the project is ignoring wildlife and environmental issues. Global News reports that the local chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is concerned there isn’t enough transparency in the planning process, while the Yellowstone To Yukon Conservation […]
10 hot spots with Chase Gunnoe: Identifying my 10 favorite train-watching spots in the U.S. is no easy task. There’s a lot of great spots here in the Mountain State that have earned my favoritism, but to showcase what the American rail landscape has to offer, I’ve selected these areas to witness railroading at its […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has released the list of those scheduled to testify during the public-comment portion of its hearing on Amtrak’s request to start Gulf Coast service, the first stage of which is set for Tuesday, Feb. 15. Tuesday’s proceeding will be held via Zoom starting at 9:30 a.m. EST, beginning with […]
TEMPE, Ariz. — Union Pacific has agreed to pay almost a half-million dollars to settle a lawsuit by the city of Tempe over a July 2020 derailment which led to a bridge fire and hazardous-material spill. KSAZ-TV reports the money is to reimburse the city for costs incurred in the July 29, 2020, incident, in […]
TRENTON, N.J. — NJ Transit will exercise an option to buy 25 more bilevel electric multiple unit railcars following approval of the $74 million purchase by the agency’s board of directors on Wednesday. NJ.com reports the additional Multilevel III cars will be built by Alstom following completion of a 113-car order placed in 2018. The last […]
NIEBÜLL, Germany — Railroad Development Corp. — the Pittsburgh-based parent company of Iowa Interstate Railroad, as well as rail operations in Peru, Germany, France, England, and Belgium — has bought a controlling share in a short line freight and passenger operator in northwest Germany. RDC purchased the majority share in Norddeutschen Eisenbahn Niebüll GmbH, or […]
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will examine grade crossing design, operations, and “human performance” as it continues its investigation of a December collision between a CSX Transportation train and a Philadelphia trolley. Those areas of interest are outlined in a preliminary report on the Dec. 9, 2021, collision involving the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation […]
MONTREAL — The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference is holding a vote among its 3,000 Canadian Pacific employees over a potential strike against the railroad. The union, which represents engineers, conductors, crew members, and yardpersons, says it is in a dispute in which wages, benefits, and pensions are the main issues. Results of the strike vote […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern made three promotions in executive positions on Thursday, naming Michael McClellan as senior vice president and chief strategy officer, Nabanita Nag as senior vice president and chief legal officer, and Clay Moore as vice president and controller. “Norfolk Southern is fortunate to have a talented, deep, and experienced executive team leading […]
