NEW YORK — A proposal to create the Interborough Express, a transit project which would connect Brooklyn and Queens to as many as 17 subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road, is indeed feasible, according to results of a study released Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber. The […]
WASHINGTON — A Housatonic Railroad employee was killed in an October 2020 accident because he attempted to walk into a limited-clearance area and was struck by a moving track excavator, the National Transportation Safety Board determined in a newly released accident report. The accident occurred on Oct. 14, 2020, in North Canaan, Conn., killing a […]
LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — In the latest step in the process of building a new rail bypass around Lac-Mégantic and neighboring communities, Transport Canada will begin public consultation on the project as of today (Jan. 21, 2022). Through Feb. 4, residents are invited to comment in writing on the bypass plan, including comments on “the main […]
NEW YORK — Janno Lieber was confirmed Thursday as Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, following his nomination earlier in the month by Gov. Kathy Hochul and serving as acting chairman and CEO since July 2021. Following his confirmation, Lieber named four individuals to positions in the MTA’s executive leadership. […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation’s profits and revenue grew in the fourth quarter but the railroad could have moved more freight if not for the ongoing train crew shortage related to the tight labor market and pandemic infections and quarantines. “We are putting the resources in place to deliver a high-quality service product,” CEO Jim Foote […]
The group representing rail unions in bargaining with railroad over a new general agreement says the negotiations have reached an impasse, leading them to file for arbitration. A brief letter today (Thursday, Jan. 20) from Jeremy R. Ferguson, president of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) informed other […]
FILLMORE, Calif. — Sierra Northern locomotives roll through Fillmore today (Thursday, Jan. 20) on their first day operating on the former Southern Pacific Santa Paula branch in Ventura County. Sierra Northern is the new contract operator on the county-owned line, formerly home of the Fillmore & Western. Sierra Northern want to rehab the line for […]
CULVER CITY, Calif. — Union Pacific has expressed interest in a new autonomous battery-electric intermodal car concept developed by a group headed by three former Space X engineers. The concept under development by Parallel Systems would see intermodal containers carried by pairs of powered battery-electric wheelsets, moving in “platoons” of cars, but capable of splitting […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific on Thursday reported record profits for 2021 despite the impact of the pandemic, wildfires, and congestion in the global supply chain. CEO Lance Fritz says the railroad expects another record-setting year in 2022, when UP will mark its 160th anniversary. But UP’s safety and service did not meet expectations last year […]
PETALUMA, Calif. — Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit has made a short-term deal for a contractor operator for freight service while it prepares to launch an in-house freight operation. The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports the SMART board of directors on Wednesday approved a $395,000, three-month contract for Summit Signal to provide interim operation to customers currently […]
OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway is asking a federal judge to block a potential strike by two unions began polling workers about a possible strike over the railroad’s new attendance policies, the Associated Press reports. BNSF filed suit against the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and […]
SCOTTSVILLE, Texas — Add shortline company Watco to the list of those exploring battery-electric locomotive technology. Watco is teaming with Medha, an India-based manufacturer of locomotives and rail-related electronics, to convert two end-cab switchers into battery-electric units. The SW1200 and SW1500, based in Texas, had been out of service for repairs, according to an article […]
