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SMART-MD becomes fifth union to ratify new national contract
Members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers’ Mechanical and Engineering Department (SMART-MD) have voted to ratify a new contract agreement, the National Carriers Conference Committee announced yesterday. SMART-MD is the fifth national agreement ratified, following agreements reached by the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers, Transportation Communications International Union, […]
California gives up on zero-emissions locomotive regulation
SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board has scrapped its controversial rule that would have required the use of zero-emissions locomotives in the state beginning in 2030. The board, or CARB as it’s known, informed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week that it was withdrawing its requests to enforce zero-emissions rules covering trucks and […]
Restoration continues for rare geared locomotive featured in movie marking 70th anniversary
MISSOULA, Mont. — An obscure but classic motion picture about logging in the Northwest, and the unique log-hauling locomotive that starred in it, are returning to the spotlight. In February 1955, “Timberjack” made its world premiere on the screens of the Roxy and Fox theaters in Missoula, not far from where the movie had been […]
Brightline on-board workers vote to join union
WASHINGTON — Onboard attendants at Brightline have voted to join the Transport Workers Union, the union announced Tuesday (Jan. 14, 2025). Mail-in voting concluded Tuesday after beginning on Nov. 27, 2024. The approximately 100 workers who sell food and beverages onboard trains and provide other services between Orlando and Miami voted in favor of unionization […]
LA’s Metrolink to adjust San Bernardino Line schedule to address timekeeping issues
LOS ANGELES — Metrolink will adjust schedules on its San Bernardino Line as of Jan. 27 in an effort to address on-time issues that led the agency to offer discounts to monthly pass holders in January and February. The commuter agency’s CEO, Darren Kettle, said in a year-end message to riders that Metrolink’s efforts to […]
STB greenlights Canadian National’s acquisition of Iowa Northern
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has approved Canadian National’s acquisition of 218-mile regional Iowa Northern Railway. The board’s decision today (Jan. 15, 2025) also imposed several conditions to offset potential anticompetitive aspects of the $230 million deal. Among them: The development of a scheduled local service plan, keeping gateways open on commercially reasonable terms, […]
Wabtec to acquire Evident’s Inspection Technologies for $1.78 billion
PITTSBURGH — Wabtec Corp. will acquire the Inspection Technologies division of Evident Scientific for $1.78 billion, Wabtec announced today (Jan. 14, 2025). The acquisition adds advanced automated inspection capabilities to Wabtec’s portfolio. Inspection Technologies provides nondestructive testing, remote visual inspection, and analytical instrument products. The company has more than 1,300 employees at four engineering and […]
Reading & Northern buys Penn Valley passenger cars (updated)
SUNBURY, Pa. — After 27 years of running holiday passenger trains, fund-raising excursions, and shipper specials, owner Jeff Pontius of Penn Valley Railroad LLC has sold his fleet of seven passenger cars to the Reading & Northern Railroad. R&N announced that it would receive the cars today (Jan. 14, 2025) and outlined the planned move […]
BLM approves sale of federal land for BNSF Barstow project
BARSTOW, Calif. — The federal Bureau of Land Management has approved sale of almost 30 acres of public land to BNSF Railway for its planned Barstow International Gateway intermodal and logistics facility. The Victorville Daily Press reports the land, valued at $98,000, was ruled to be suitable for private sale. The propery is isolated, surrounded […]
Bill requiring disclosure of Amtrak bonuses passes House
WASHINGTON — A bill that would require Amtrak to disclose information on base pay and bonuses for some of its executives has passed the House of Representatives. H.R. 192, sponsored by U.S. Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.), would require the bonus information to be available on Amtrak’s website, along with the criteria used to determine bonuses, […]
Saluda Grade to sell for $31.5 million
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The organization seeking to buy the Saluda Grade from Norfolk Southern for conversion to a trail will pay $31.5 million — $1 million a mile — for the route between Zirconia, N.C., and Inman, S.C., the Spartanburg Post and Courier reports. The states of North Carolina and South Carolina will each contribute […]
