WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Surface Transportation Board says he’s concerned that pressure from Wall Street is undermining railroad service and questioned the need for major railroad mergers. “Our mandate as an agency … is to ensure and protect a strong national rail network. That’s why we exist. And everything we do should be aimed […]
CP calls CN plan to sell KCS line ‘token divestment,’ remains critical of merger’s competitive impact Canadian Pacific says Canadian National’s plans to divest a Kansas City Southern line in Louisiana is “clear recognition” of the competitive issues created by the proposed CN-KCS merger. In a Thursday statement, CP also said the “token divestment” would […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic remains well ahead of 2020 figures —both for the week ending May 22 and in year-to-date totals — according to the latest statistics released by the Association of American Railroads. For the week, U.S. railroads moved 242,227 carloads — up 27.2% over the corresponding week in 2020 — and 286,547 intermodal […]
DURANGO, Colo. — The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is suing La Plata County, Colo., over an effort to stop the railroad’s increased use of its Rockwood Station location. The Durango Herald reports that, in response to a warning from the county that the railroad faced fines or other penalties unless it addressed land-use […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — By railfan standards this two-axle, metal-framed, wooden rail freight wagon is an interesting, vintage piece of rolling stock, but otherwise unremarkable. For the world at large, it has a larger, darker place in history, which is why it is on display at Kansas City’s Union Station. The car was one of […]
CHICAGO — Six former railroad employees face charges carrying prison sentences up to 20 years, as well as cash penalties ranging from $10,000 to more than $270,000, after being indicted for alleged disability-benefits fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois has announced. The six are accused of working other jobs while […]
WASHINGTON — It’s back to the drawing board for CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways. The Surface Transportation Board today rejected as incomplete CSX’s application to acquire control of Pan Am. “The Board finds that the application fails to include all of the information needed to satisfy the Market Analysis […]
SAN JOSE, Calif. — At least eight workers at the Valley Transportation Authority light rail facility in San Jose were shot and killed by a co-worker who also killed himself, according to authorities. Several other people were wounded, with at least one in critical condition, CNN reports. The network reports the gunman has been identified […]
WASHINGTON — Canadian National and Kansas City Southern today asked federal regulators to approve a voting trust that is the initial step in their plans to merge into the first railroad linking Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. To address competition concerns in the one area where the railroads’ systems overlap, CN said it will sell the […]
MBTA, board can’t agree on new fines for fare evasion Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority staff and the agency’s Fiscal and Management Control Board continue to disagree about fines for fare evasion. CommonWealth Magazine reports the staff and board remained at an impasse for the second consecutive board meeting. The MBTA staff initially recommended fines of […]
Pacific Surfliners to require reservations on four weekends; more could be added Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner will require reservations for travel on peak weekends this suffer, a move to manage capacity when more travelers are anticipated. Four weekends have been designated for the reservation requirement — Memorial Day weekend (May 28-June 1), Fourth of July weekend […]
LONDON — The British Government has announced plans to create a single national ,government-owned rail company to run the railway network and, via mostly private contractors, operate most passenger trains in the UK. That such a move is planned, reversing decades of complex privatization is remarkable, but even moreso is that the government is from […]
