Northstar ends service to Minnesota Twins games

Trains at station with baseball stadium in background

MINNEAPOLIS — Commuter rail operator Northstar is ending dedicated service for Minnesota Twins home games this season, citing a withdrawal of funding by one of the three counties involved in the service. KARE-TV reports Metro Transit, the parent agency for Northstar, as well as light rail and bus service in the Twin Cities area, said […]

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Union Pacific files suit over Oakland ballpark plan

Artist's rendering of ballpark and large buildings along railroad tracks

OAKLAND, Calif. — Union Pacific has filed suit against the city of Oakland and major-league baseball’s Oakland Athletics over a proposed ballpark and related mixed-use development near Jack London Square. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the railroad is challenging the project’s environmental analysis, saying in the suit filed in Alameda County Superior Court fails to […]

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Illinois grain elevator acquires ex-C&NW GP50

Yellow and black GP50 locomotive

DEWEY, Ill. — Premier Cooperative in Dewey, in east central Illinois, has purchased a former D&I Railway GP50 to serve its large grain elevator. GP50 No. 2512 was built for the Chicago & North Western as its No. 5054 in May 1980, spending most of its early life speeding “Falcon Service” piggyback trains between Chicago […]

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Report cautions Amtrak of challenges with funding windfall

Logo of Amtrak Office of Inspector General

WASHINGTON — The unprecedented funding windfall available to Amtrak under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will challenge the company’s ability to manage projects related to the new funds while continuing to oversee current operations, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General says in a new report. The challenges will come in four areas, the report […]

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Union blames train crew shortage on cutbacks related to Precision Scheduled Railroading (updated)

Logo of SMART-TD union

WASHINGTON — Ongoing service problems related to crew shortages on the U.S. Class I railroads are entirely self-inflicted due to the implementation of Precision Scheduled Railroading, the SMART Transportation Division labor union has told federal regulators. “The freight rail network is at a breaking point,” union President Jeremy Ferguson wrote in an April 1 letter […]

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Cargo thefts decline in 2021

Man in baseball cap carrying empty boxes

While thefts from Union Pacific intermodal trains in Los Angeles made national headlines early this year, overall cargo thefts last year decreased by 15% from 2020 levels, Insurance Journal reports, citing CargoNet’s annual Supply Chain Risk Trends report. The company, which provides cargo theft solutions, reported 1,285 cargo thefts in the United States and Canada, […]

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Owner of Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 2-8-0 seeks restoration funding

woman stands next to black steam locomotive

When Lori Lindsey bought The Mineshaft Tavern in Madrid, N.M., in 2007, she acquired the restaurant, museum, and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe No. 769. After consulting with restoration experts, Lindsey is seeking funding to restore the 2-8-0. With encouragement from Santa Fe, N.M., resident Andrew Delgado, Lindsey consulted with steam restoration experts. She has […]

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News photos: Brunswick, Md., tower moved

Aerial view of interlocking tower being moved across railroad tracks and uphill

BRUNSWICK, Md. — More than 10 years after its closure by CSX Transportation, the preservation of WB Tower in Brunswick, Md., has been assured by its move from railroad to city property. The tower, built in 1910 by Baltimore & Ohio, made a short move uphill on Saturday, April 2. Wolfe House & Building Movers […]

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