WASHINGTON — Utilities are worried that the slowdown in coal deliveries could threaten U.S. electricity supply and destabilize the power grid. Chemical producers say erratic rail service has forced them to curtail production of essentials like chlorine used to treat public drinking water systems and the plastics used in medical products. And one of the nation’s […]
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs has awarded a grant toward a $1.9 million project for a warehouse and other improvements at Watco-served Port Birmingham. The Birmingham-Jefferson County Port Authority is contributing $1.1 million toward project, which includes a 25,000-square-foot warehouse and improvements to attract other commodities requiring indoor storage. […]
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Amtrak will launch seasonal service between New York and Pittsfield as part of a two-year pilot program beginning July 8. The Berkshire Flyer, operating in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, will offer Friday service from Penn Station to Pittsfield via Albany-Rensselaer, N.Y. Return service will operate on Sundays. The Friday […]
EL PASO, Texas — About a dozen cars of a Union Pacific train derailed early Wednesday morning in central El Paso, KTSM-TV reports. The derailment occurred underneath a bridge where Cotton Street meets Interstate 10 at about 2:45 a.m. Cars involved included grain cars and some empty tank cars, a railroad representative told the station. […]
NORTH CREEK, N.Y. — The Tahawus segment of the former Saratoga & North Creek Railway has a new owner. Again. The Albany Times-Union reports that Revolution Rail will pay $2.7 million for the 30-mile segment of the line north of North Creek, which was not part of regular S&NC tourist operations. That portion leads to […]
WEST CHESTER, Pa. — A third county has approved formation of a new agency to lead efforts to restore rail passenger service between Reading, Pa., and Philadelphia, making official the organization’s creation. WFMZ-TV reports commissioners in Chester County unanimously approved a resolution on Wednesday to form the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority, following similar approvals […]
LOS ANGELES — The California High-Speed Rail Authority will provide more than $400 million for the project to improve Los Angeles Union Station, a project which will see through tracks for commuter and intercity rail operations created at the current stub-ended station in downtown L.A. The authority’s board on Wednesday approved the agreement with LA […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic showed a significant slide for the second consecutive week, with overall volume down 7.4% from the same week in 2021. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show 498,011 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending April 23, 2022. That includes total carloads, down 4.5%, and 268,976 containers and […]
WASHINGTON — There were more questions than answers on Tuesday as federal regulators sought ways to remedy railroad service problems that defy a quick fix because they are rooted in a shortage of train crews. Shippers told the Surface Transportation Board that rail service has deteriorated, with delays mounting as transit times have in some […]
DORCHESTER, S.C. — Norfolk Southern will permanently protect 1,105 acres of coastal wetlands in South Carolina through a conservation easement, the company announced Tuesday. The protected land is home to the Coldwater Branch Stream and Westland Mitigation Bank at Brosnan Forest, the company’s 14,400-acre time and wildlife preserve 35 miles northwest of Charleston at Dorchester. […]
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — U.S. and Massachusetts officials have reached agreement on a plan to develop the long-discussed East-West Rail project, which will extend existing rail service west from Worcester to Springfield and Pittsfield, Mass. State House News Service reports Gov. Charlie Baker and Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) announced the plan for the state legislature to […]
KANSAS CITY — CEOs Keith Creel of Canadian Pacific, Katie Farmer of BNSF, and Jim Foote of CSX are among those scheduled to appear at the annual meeting of the North American Rail Shippers, set for May 9-11 in Kansas City. Others set to take part are Patrick Fuchs; Anthony B. Hatch of ABH Consultiong; […]
