New GO Transit service to London, Ontario, sees light ridership

Toronto GO Transit logo

TORONTO — A pilot program extending GO Transit service to London, Ontario — with travel times of almost four hours for a 118-mile trip — is drawing few passengers in its second month of operation. But provincial transit agency Metrolinx remains supportive of the project. The Toronto Star reports the pilot program extending Kitchener Line […]

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UP train derails in Idaho

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

HAMMETT, Idaho — Approximately 28 cars of a Union Pacific train derailed early Sunday morning in Hammett, shutting down the railroad’s main route between Utah and the Pacific Northwest. No injuries were reported. KBOI-TV quotes a railroad representative as saying the accident occurred about 1:30 a.m. west of Hammett, which is about 73 miles southeast […]

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CN line in Quebec shut down by blockade

Canadian National logo

ST-LAMBERT, Quebec — In an echo of situations that significantly disrupted the railroad’s operations in early 2020, protesters staged a blockade Saturday of Canadian National’s line in St-Lambert, adjacent to Montreal , saying they were acting in solidarity with a First Nations group in British Columbia. The Montreal Gazette reports protesters said they were responding […]

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GO Transit service restored after fatal accident

Toronto GO Transit logo

TORONTO —GO Transit service was restored on the Lakeshore East Line on Sunday after a week-long disruption following a fatal maintenance-of-way accident. The Toronto Star reports that the route could see some delays or cancellations because of ongoing staff shortages. GO Transit had been operating a bus bridge around the site of the Nov. 27 […]

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Latest ACE expansion gets environmental approval

Altamont Corridor Express logo

STOCKTON, Calif. — Southward expansion of the Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail service to Merced, Calif., received a key administrative boost Friday, as the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission approved the final environmental report for the new segment. The Modesto Bee reports that the vote concludes an environmental review that began in June 2020. It […]

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BNSF trains collide near Omaha

Wreckage from collision of two trains

PACIFIC JUNCTION, Iowa — Two crew members are reported to have been injured in a Friday morning collision of two BNSF Railway trains at Pacific Junction, about 18 miles south of Omaha, Neb. BNSF reports an empty coal train hit the back of a mixed freight train at about 7 a.m. local time, derailing the […]

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Baldwin Sharknose moved in Michigan

Blue and silver locomotive with one car and caboose

ESCANABA, Mich. — The railfan world was electrified yesterday when the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad was seen moving one of its two Baldwin RF16 “Sharknose” diesels from the E&LS car shop in Escanaba to another shop at the railroad’s headquarters in nearby Wells. Rumors flew this would be the beginning of an effort to […]

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Worker warning system at fault in fatal SEPTA accident, NTSB says

Schematic diagram of site of railroad accident

WASHINGTON — The use of the Train Approach Warning method to warn track workers of approaching traffic — in a multiple-track location where trains could approach at full speed in either direction — led to a fatal 2019 accident involving Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority workers, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a report issued […]

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New cybersecurity rules coming for railroads

Trains Washington Watch logo

WASHINGTON — New rules from the Transportation Security Administration requiring railroads to report cybersecurity breaches and review their vulnerability to online attacks will take effect on Dec. 31. Bloomberg reports the rules will require companies to report hacking incidents within 24 hours, conduct a vulnerability assessment, develop a plan to respond to hacking, and designate […]

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Norfolk Southern’s Shaw to succeed Squires as CEO (updated)

Two men with city in background

ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern today named Alan Shaw as its chief executive officer, effective May 1, when current CEO Jim Squires will retire. Shaw, the railroad’s chief marketing officer, was promoted to president effective today. The NS management team now reports to Shaw, who has been with the railroad for 27 years and has served […]

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Hudson Tunnel project gets federal permit

Amtrak train coming out of tunnel

The much-discussed project to build new Northeast Corridor tunnels between New York and New Jersey has received the permit allowing construction to begin once funding is secured. NJ.com reports the permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would allow construction of the Hudson River Tunnel to begin in summer 2023. Once the two new […]

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