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MBTA commuter rail workers ratify new contract agreements
BOSTON — Keolis Commuter Services, the operator of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail trains, has reached amended labor agreements with an additional nine of the company’s 14 unions. The agreements, which still need to be ratified by members of each union, will be retroactive to July 1, 2023, when the contracts became amendable, Keolis […]
Cascadia high speed rail project to receive $49.7 million in FRA funding
WASHINGTON — A proposed high speed rail line in the Pacific Northwest will receive $49.7 million for the second stage of planning under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development program, a group of Washington state legislators announced Wednesday, Dec. 18. U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, along with six members of the […]
Electrical workers ratify new contract with BNSF Railway
FORT WORTH, Texas — The members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have voted to ratify a new five-year collective bargaining agreement with BNSF Railway. “This achievement, following on ratified agreements with many of our other union partners, underscores our commitment to ensure continued exceptional service for our customers,” BNSF CEO Katie Farmer said […]
Preservation in 2024: Locomotive projects — steam and diesel — predominate
Our 2023 rail preservation review illustrated a focus on new and renovated museum facilities. In 2024, focus shifted to activities involving locomotives and rolling stock. Of the 79 preservation stories on Trains News Wire this year, 47 relate to locomotives or railcars. Still, buildings did play a role in preservation this year; one of the […]
Pennsylvania approves $55 million in funding for 30 freight rail projects
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has approved $55 million in funding for 30 rail freight improvement projects, the agency announced on Wednesday (Dec. 18). The funds, for a mix of railroads and rail customers, are from the state’s Rail Transportation Assistance Program and Rail Freight Assistance Program; PennDOT said they would create […]
Kansas awards $13 million for rail projects
TOPEKA, Kan. — Fourteen rail projects in Kansas will receive $13 million in funding from the state Department of Transportation’s Rail Service Improvement Program, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday (Dec. 18). The projects were selected from 22 applications for projects with a total cost of more than $33 million. Projects require a 30% match from […]
Weekly U.S. rail traffic continues to show gains
WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic remains up as the year winds down. Figures for the week ending Dec. 14 saw U.S. railroads move 526,166 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.8% increase over the same week in 2023, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Those figures include 228,400 carloads, down 2.4% from […]
Congress passes bill ending cuts to rail unemployment benefits
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has passed a bill eliminating cuts to railroad unemployment benefits, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden for his signature. S1274, the Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness (REEF) Act, passed the Senate today after earlier passage in the House of Representatives. It ends a tax of $50 every two weeks […]
Amtrak, agencies apply for more than $450 million in federal grants for Chicago Union Station improvements
CHICAGO — Days after a challenge from federal legislators, Amtrak and its partners have applied for four grants which would enable more than $500 million in improvements as part of the program to upgrade Chicago Union Station and related infrastructure. The grant requests for elements of the Chicago Hub Improvement Program met a Dec. 16 […]
CSX repairs to former Clinchfield could take until September 2025
ERWIN, Tenn. — It could be September 2025 before CSX Transportation is able to resume operations on the badly damaged portions of its former Clinchfield Railroad route in Tennessee and North Carolina. The railroad has listed September 2025 as the date by which emergency repairs will be completed in its latest permit request for repairs […]
Removal of old bridge piers completed at site of Amtrak’s new Susquehanna River Bridge
HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. — An Amtrak contractor has completed the removal of 10 bridge piers dating to 1866 from the Susquehanna River, a required move in advance of construction of new bridges connecting Havre de Grace and Perryville, Md. Contractor Fay Construction began the process earlier this year and completed it in November, Amtrak […]
