ALEXANDER, W.Va. — West Virginia’s coal history is a cyclical tale of boom-and-bust periods driven by the world’s appetite for the state’s most abundant fossil fuel. Agility and resiliency have carried coal and its closely linked partner, railroading, through periods of prosperity and dispersity. Today in one of the state’s most rural dwellings is a […]
Their debut delayed by installation and testing of Positive Train Control equipment, Rocky Mountaineer’s GP40-3 locomotives last week finally began replacing leased Union Pacific power on the “Rockies to Red Rocks” excursions to Glenwood Springs, Colo., and Moab, Utah. On Wednesday, May 25, 2022, they head west from Denver at Arvada, Colo., at milepost 9.75 […]
HARMAR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — All of the cars that went into a creek as a result of a Thursday derailment of a Norfolk Southern train were removed from the water as of Sunday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Two locomotives and 17 cars of the train derailed after the train hit a dump truck loaded with […]
WASHINGTON — More Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement, or CRISI, grants from the Federail Railroad Administration have been announced by members of Congress whose areas will receive the funding. Among the latest announcements: California grants worth more than $46 million U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla (both D-Calif.) announced awards of more than […]
HUMBOLDT, Kan. — The state of Kansas is awarding $11.5 million in grants for 17 railroad infrastructure rehabilitation and construction projects, Gov. Laura Kelly and Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz announced. The projects, involving seven railroads and eight shipper locations, will be funded through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s State Rail Service Improvement fund. Grants range […]
ROCKY RIDGE, Pa. — Flying a 21st-century drone to plot the future of two 19th-century tunnels, the East Broad Top Railroad took a step forward Thursday, May 26, by revisiting its past. Specialists set up, calibrated, and flew a drone through the Ray’s Hill (some spell it Wray’s Hill) and Sideling Hill tunnels, nestled in […]
CHICAGO — Commuter rail operator Metra will restore Saturday schedules to pre-pandemic levels on seven lines as of this Saturday, May 29, and has also announced it will revise its weekday schedule on the Union Pacific Northwest line. The new schedules will be introduced on the BNSF, Milwaukee North, Milwaukee West, Rock Island, Union Pacific […]
HARMAR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — An oil spill from a Norfolk Southern derailment on Thursday has led to the closure of the nearby Allegheny River to boating for the Memorial Day weekend as well as an ongoing road closure. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Thursday afternoon’s derailment in Harmar Township, on the northwestern edge of Pittsburgh, […]
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress have begun announcing Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, or CRISI, grant awards from the Federal Railroad Administration, with funding for projects in Pennsylvania and Kentucky announced Thursday. Two awards announced in Pennsylvania U.S. Sen Bob Casey (D) announced CRISI awards of $14.7 million for the Berks County Rail Project […]
BOSTON — Seven more of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s newest rapid-transit railcars have been found to have improperly installed bolts in brake assemblies, the agency’s board of directors learned Thursday. The Boston Herald reports MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak told the board that six Orange Line cars and one Red Line car had the […]
EDGELEY, Saskatchewan — A Canadian National train derailed after striking a road grader near the community of Edgeley on Thursday afternoon, CKRM radio reports. The CBC reports the driver of the vehicle, a 57-year-old man from the rural municipality of Lajord, Sask., was pronounced dead at the scene. Global News reports officers from three detachments […]
SAN JOSE, Calif. — One year after a disgruntled employee killed nine Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority light rail coworkers and himself, the family of one of the victims has filed suit against the transit agency, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, and a private security firm for failing to prevent the mass shooting. Courthouse […]
