IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Iowa City City Council has approved the purchase of three residential properties for the site of a possible Amtrak station, the Daily Iowan newspaper reports. The three parcels are being purchased for $475,000. They would provide the location for a station should Amtrak launch a long-discussed Chicago-Quad Cities passenger service, […]
PETALUMA, Calif. — The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit Board has approved funding to build a second station in the city of Petaluma, which has been part of the plan for the rail service since its initial planning. The Marin Independent Journal reports the board on Wednesday voted to budget $14 million for the Petaluma North […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation today posted double-digit growth in revenue and earnings for the third quarter and maintained its financial outlook despite high inflation and signs that the economy might be softening. Executives said they were confident that the railroad could regain volume as service improves, which would help offset a potential decline in […]
OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific today reported quarterly revenue and earnings records but lowered its outlook for the rest of the year as volume growth is slowing and costs are rising. UP now expects full-year traffic growth of about 3%, down from the prior forecast of 4% to 5% volume growth. The operating ratio is […]
MONTGOMERY, Ala — A Kentucky-based beverage firm has chosen a Montgomery site served by CSX Transportation for a new 180-acre, $600 million production and distribution facility for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The facility owned by the minority-owned Manna Capital Partners affiliate Manna Beverages & Ventures is expected to begin operations in early 2025. CSX assisted […]
The union representing railroad maintenance of way employees, who rejected their tentative contract agreement earlier this month, are seeking additional sick leave benefits in negotiations with the U.S. Class I railroads. The National Carriers’ Conference Committee, which represents the railroads in collective bargaining, on Wednesday told the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of […]
PHILADELPHIA — The two construction workers killed last week when struck by a PATCO train on the Ben Franklin bridge were walking on a track that was supposed to have been shut down while concrete work was in progress, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The two were killed the night of Oct. 14 while working on […]
MONTREAL — Operating as Amtk 694 (the train number Canadian National has always assigned to the southbound Adirondack while on CN rails), an Amtrak requalification run heads to Montreal’s Central Station on Thursday as it passes the mostly drained Peel Basin. While Amtrak service to Vancouver and Toronto was restored earlier this year, there is still […]
MONTREAL — Unifor, Canada’s largest union, has opened bargaining with Canadian National for a new contract, the union said Wednesday. The union says it represents about 3,600 workers at CN terminals and headquarters across Canada, including mechanics, crane operators, machinists, electricians, and clericial, administrative, and customer-support workers. The current agreement expires on Dec. 31. “The […]
BALTIMORE — Residents of Baltiimore’s Curtis Bay area have filed a class action lawsuit against CSX Transportation over the Dec. 30, 2021, explosion at the railroad’s Curtis Bay Coal Piers, claiming negligence led to the blast that released “poisonous and carcinogenic chemicals” including lead and arsenic. WJZ-TV reports the residents are seeking $5 million in […]
LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — The Canadian government has set new dates for public consultation on hydrology and mitigation in its deliberate process of building a rail bypass around Lac-Mégantic. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced Wednesday that online consultation will be held Oct. 24 to Nov. 25, along with three public information sessions: — An in-person, invitation-only […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has issued its cybersecurity directives for freight and passenger railroads, a move greeted positively by the Association of American Railroads. The 14-page directive requires railroads to submit a cybersecurity implementation plan to the TSA for approval with 120 days. That plan must address measures to prevent operational disruption […]
