MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada has received a 72-hour strike notice from the union representing 2,400 of its workers, creating the possibility the passenger operator will suspend all services as of 12:01 a.m. EDT on Monday, July 11. The Unifor union represents VIA on-board, station, maintenance, administrative, and customer-center employees. Unifor said this week that […]
OGDEN, Utah — A U.S. Forest Service review has upheld a decision granting right-of-way to a portion of the Uinta Basin Railway project, the last major regulatory barrier to the proposed 85-mile line to serve oilfields in Utah. The Salt Lake Tribune reports several environmental groups had challenged the Forest Service’s decision to approve the […]
CALGARY — Canadian Pacific says it has become the first North American freight railroad to take part in the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. More than 15,000 companies in more than 160 countries are part of the program, launched in 2000, for the development, implementation, and disclosure of socially responsible […]
CHICAGO — Key contributors seeking $251.1 million from a federal competitive grant program focused on Chicago Union Station improvements at a Thursday event to announce their involvement. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner, and Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski were among the speakers at the station’s Burlington Room, explaining […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation will cut 137 information technology jobs, outsourcing them through a deal with a company based in India. The Jacksonville Daily Record reports CSX said Tata Consultancy Services will provide operation, maintenance and support for the company’s IT systems. “Many impacted employees will have an opportunity to join TCS,” the company […]
BETTENDORF, Iowa — Canadian Pacific has agreed to pay the city of Bettendorf $3 million to address the community’s concerns over increased traffic resulting from its planned merger with Kansas City Southern. The Quad Cities Times reports that the agreement — which is subject to Surface Transportation Board approval of the merger — was agreed […]
HOMEWOOD, Ill. — Canadian National will spend $485 million on capital projects in eight states as the U.S. portion of its capital plan for 2022, the railroad has announced. Overall, the company will spend more than C$2.6 billion on its capital program. It had previously announced almost C$2 billion in Canadian projects [see “CN announces […]
CALGARY, Alberta — The Alberta government is not willing to support a proposed Calgary-Banff passenger rail operation in its current form, saying it presents too great a financial risk. The Globe and Mail reports that Alberta Transportation Minister Prasad Panda says the plan underestimates the capital costs and the annual financial contribution from the province, […]
The governors of New York and New Jersey have signed an agreement detailing how the two states will fund their portion of the Northeast Corridor’s Gateway bridge and tunnel projects. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy addresses funding for the Portal North bridge over […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A state budget agreement passed last week releases the final $4.2 billion in bond funds for California’s high speed rail project, while also creating a new inspector general position to provide oversight for the troubled project. The San Jose Mercury News reports the budget deal allows the 171-mile Central Valley section of […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic in June was down 3.2% from 2021 levels, providing mixed indicators about the state of the nation’s economy, according to the Association of American Railroads. The June figure included a 1.5% decline in carload traffic and a 4.6% drop in intermodal units. “As conjecture grows about the direction of the […]
OTTUMWA, Iowa — The City of Ottumwa has agreed to purchase the city’s Amtrak depot, currently owned by the Iowa Heartland Historical Connection. The Ottumwa Courier reports that, by a 4-1 vote on Tuesday, the Ottumwa City Council agreed to purchase the building at a cost of $480,000, funds included in bond approvals earlier this […]
