Trains spoke with Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena today after the railroad’s third-quarter earnings call. Vena, who served as UP’s chief operating officer in 2019 and 2020, rejoined the railroad as its chief executive on Aug. 14. Vena has pledged to make Union Pacific the safest railroad in North America and to grow volume faster […]
CHICAGO — It’s a measure of how large CREATE’s 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project is that, even having been divided into more manageable parts, it’s still too big, from a financial standpoint, for one of those parts to be fully funded through the federal government’s Mega Grant program. So, when CREATE — the Chicago Region […]
The Atlas O Fall 2023 Premier Catalog was recently posted on the manufacturer’s website. The 32-page catalog features a mix of locomotives, commuter cars, and rolling stock from the Premier, Master, and Trainman product ranges. The last four pages of the catalog include previously announced track, structures, and accessories. Two models that will be making […]
There’s something magical about watching big steam engines run while the snow flies. Although most of these large locomotives are going through their off-season maintenance in the winter, there are a few big steam locomotives that plan to bring season’s greetings. For a rundown of all holiday trains, check out our list of 2023 Polar […]
As the Maxon Railway car pulls away from the platform everything seems business as usual. Steel rails. Steel wheels. A slight clickety-clack. The whizzing soundtrack of an electrified locomotive. Check. Check. Check. Check. Except this is no ordinary rail car and this railway is definitely nowhere near ordinary. Located in the Pacific Northwest with the […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific reported lower third quarter revenue and profits today (Oct. 19) as volume fell and cost pressure increased. “No doubt about it: It was a tough quarter,” new CEO Jim Vena told investors and analysts on the railroad’s earnings call this morning. But he said he was pleased with the railroad’s […]
JACKSONVILLE — The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen has ratified a paid sick leave agreement with CSX Corp. covering former Seaboard Coast Line properties, CSX announced today (Oct. 19, 2023). The agreement covers close to 400 employees. “We value the hard work and dedication of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen and all our employees who keep […]
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Norfolk Southern to perform additional cleanup work on creeks in the area of the Feb. 3 East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, saying disturbance of sediment on those streams can lead to an “oily sheen” in the water. The order issued Wednesday covers a 5-mile area […]
WASHINGTON — The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on Wednesday approved three nominations for the Amtrak Board of Directors, advancing those nominations to the full Senate for approval and ending a deadlock that has seen board members with long-expired terms continuing to serve, pending the approval of new nominees. The news site Roll […]
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Norfolk Southern has revived hopes for a long-stalled commuter rail line between Charlotte and communities in the Lake Norman area by indicating its willingness to “consider … a possible transaction” over the NS line that would be a necessary part of the route north of the city — a change from the […]
RIVER GROVE, Ill. — Metra has recently accelerated testing of its SD70MACH locomotives, with the first test run with one of the remanufactured units leading a train taking place earlier this week. Unit No. 509, accompanied by F59PH No. 99, is shown at River Grove on Tuesday, Oct. 17, on a test run that took […]
BALTIMORE — The B&O Railroad Museum has announced plans to begin cosmetic restoration of Reading Co. 4-8-4 No. 2101 — maintained in the museum’s collection as American Freedom Train No. 1 for the role the locomotive played during the Freedom Train’s 1975-76 tour — and will begin that process by moving the locomotive from its […]
