Union Pacific, BNSF Railway, and Norfolk Southern say they have suspended their COVID-19 vaccination mandate following a Tuesday ruling by a federal judge blocked the Biden Administration’s executive order requiring vaccination for federal contractors. Reuters reports that UP said 74% of its 31,000 employees were fully vaccinated as of Dec. 8, and that was still […]
NTSB to investigate SEPTA-CSX collision
DARBY, Pa. — The National Transportation Safety Board said it will send a team of four investigators to the site of Thursday’s accident between a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trolley and CSX freight train at a diamond in Darby, Pa. Updated information from a SEPTA spokesman, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, reports the trolley’s […]
‘Fastest trains in Europe’ ordered for British high-speed line (updated)
A joint bid from Hitachi and Alstom has won the contract for a long-awaited, $2.6 billion order for the fleet of trains to operate on Britain’s new HS2 high speed line. The 54 eight-car electric trainsets, designed to routinely operate at 225 mph, are being described as the “fastest trains in Europe.” Recently announced plans […]
Amtrak HR department too understaffed to handle planned hiring, report says
WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s Human Resources department does not have sufficient staff to handle the company’s plans to add up to 3,500 employees this fiscal year, the Amtrak Office of the Inspector General says in a report issued Thursday. In another report, the Office of Inspector General said Amtrak should become more involved in local efforts […]
Events in Manitoba, Alberta to mark 125th anniversary of Canadian Northern predecessor
BIG VALLEY, Alberta — The Dauphin Rail Museum and Canadian Northern Society will hold events Dec. 14-15 to commemorate the opening of a railroad that became the Canadian Northern Railway, Canada’s second transcontinental railroad. Dec. 15 will mark the 125th anniversary of the opening of the Lake Manitoba Railway & Canal Co.; the company’s first […]
Amtrak sticks to employee vaccine mandate, prepares to announce reductions
WASHINGTON — Amtrak President Stephen Gardner’s presentation Thursday at a House committee hearing included justification for potential service cuts, related to the passenger railroad’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement, that may be announced next week. Gardner was taking part in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Rail Subcommittee hearing, “Leveraging Infrastructure and Jobs Act: Plans for Expanding […]
News Photos: Amtrak heritage electric debuts (updated)
Shades of the AEM7: Amtrak’s newest heritage locomotive, ACS64 No. 662, made its debut on Thursday, handling Northeast Regional train No. 176 from Washington to Boston. The first trip came shortly after Amtrak released photos on Twitter of the Siemens locomotive wrapped in a recreation of the paint scheme worn by the earlier electric locomotives […]
Seven injured as SEPTA trolley, CSX train collide
DARBY, Pa. — Seven people have been injured, one critically, after a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trolley collided with a CSX freight train on Thursday morning, KYW-TV reports. The Philadelphia Inquirer, which earlier had reported six injuries — to the operator and five passengers — reports an eastbound trolley on Route 11, from Darby to […]
U.S. Steel, NS, Greenbrier announce new lighter-weight gondola design
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. — U.S. Steel, Norfolk Southern, and carbuilder Greenbrier have combined on a new gondola car design which will reduce the weight of each car by up to 15,000 pounds through use of a high-strength, lighter-weight steel. NS will receive 800 of the cars in an initial order. The new steel has the […]
East Broad Top gets $1.1 million from state for restoring track, other projects
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – East Broad Top Railroad has been awarded a $1.1 million state grant to rebuild 7.8 miles of track between the company’s headquarters in Rockhill Furnace and the towns of Three Springs and Saltillo, and to support related EBT projects. The grant awarded Wednesday, Dec. 8, is the first step toward reopening […]
Glenn Hulcher, founder of contractor Hulcher Services, dies at 85
DENTON, Texas — Glenn Hulcher, founder of multi-faceted railroad contractor Hulcher Services, has died, the company announced. Hulcher died on Nov. 23 after a battle with cancer. “Glenn was a pioneer, an innovator and our friend and we will miss him daily, but his legacy will live on through the company and those whom he […]
News Photos: Historic Ohio tower demolished
FOSTORIA, Ohio — Fostoria’s historic Jackson Street Tower, which housed the nation’s first Centralized Traffic Control equipment, has been demolished. The former New York Central structure was torn down as part of an ongoing effort by CSX Transportation to remove old, unused structures along its routes. It was the operator in the Jackson Street Tower […]
