MBTA trolley refurbishment falls further behind schedule

Orange and white PCC trolley car on double track

BOSTON — A project to refurbish 1940s-vintage PCC trolley cars used on one Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority line is more than two years behind schedule, with the first of the cars now expected to be in service by the end of the winter, the Boston Globe reports. Eight cars are being updated in a $7.9 […]

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Hedlund sworn in as newest STB member

Head shot of woman with short blond hair

WASHINGTON — Karen J. Hedlund has been sworn in as the newest member of the Surface Transportation Board, the board announced, allowing the board to maintain to its full complement of five members. Hedland, confirmed by the Senate on Dec. 16, served as chief counsel and deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration from 2010 […]

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Vermont drops opposition to CSX-Pan Am merger

Red locomotives lead train along river

WASHINGTON – CSX Transportation has ironed out a wrinkle in its proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways by reaching an agreement with Vermont Rail System and the Vermont Agency of Transportation. In exchange for a combination of new trackage rights, haulage rights, and interchange agreements, Vermont Rail System and Vermont transportation officials […]

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Amtrak faces some holiday cancellations

Passenger train with freight locomotive in lead

WASHINGTON — Although airlines cancelled thousands of flights, resulting in horror stories for stranded travelers, Amtrak was mostly able to keep its trains running during the Christmas-New Year holiday period. There were some cancellations, though. While booked passengers were asked via email or text to choose a different train or travel another day and no […]

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News Photos: CSX traffic in Kentucky halted by tornado damage

Debris on railroad tracks

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. — Damage from what has subsequently been identified as a small tornado halted CSX Transportation traffic on New Year’s Day in Hopkinsville, the second time in less than a month that a tornado has affected the railroad’s operations in the area. WZTV in Nashville reports the damage, initially attributed to high winds, was […]

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CSX train derails in Michigan

Wheels from derailed railroad cars

ROMULUS, Mich. — Efforts to clean up the derailment of a CSX train early on New Year’s Day knocked out power in the area, the Romulus Fire Department reports. The train carrying steel derailed about 1:37 a.m., near Eureka Road and Interstate 275, according to a fire department Facebook post; WWJ Radio reports about 15 […]

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Cleburne, Texas, set to open expanded rail museum

Logo of the Cleburne Railroad Museum

CLEBURNE, Texas — The remodeled and expanded Cleburne Railroad Museum is set to open Jan. 13, the Cleburne Times-Review reports. The museum traces a railroading history that dates to 1881 and includes more than a century when the Santa Fe Railway was the community’s largest employer, thanks to a major shop facility. The expanded museum […]

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Progress Rail sells part of EMD La Grange property

Progress Rail logo

LA GRANGE, Ill. — Progress Rail has sold 88 acres of the former Electro-Motive Division property in La Grange, the company informed La Grange-based employees in a December email. The land was bought by Bridge Industrial, which specializes in acquisition and development of industrial properties, and will be redeveloped. Progress will maintain its existing offices […]

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