WASHINGTON—Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner announced his resignation today (March 19, 2025). No successor has been named. In a statement on Amtrak’s website, Gardner says, “I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration. I am so proud of what the Amtrak team has […]
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MECHANICSVILLE, Va. — Global electrical technology firm ABB will collaborate with Stadler on its passenger trainset orders for Metra and Caltrans, ABB said this week. ABB will supply traction converters and batteries for the eight two-car battery-electric trainsets Metra ordered last year [see “Metra signs deal with Stadler US …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 21, […]
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NEW YORK — Escalating a fight between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Trump administration, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has threatened to withhold federal funding if the transit agency does not provide information on how it is addressing crime. In a letter to MTA CEO Janno Lieber, Duffy requested information on how the MTA’s New […]
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CHICAGO — Improvements and 52 stations and replacement of 43 grade crossings are part of Metra’s planned capital projects during its 2025 construction season, the commuter rail operator announced Tuesday, March 18. Track, bridge, and signal work is also on the agenda. “We plan to take full advantage of the construction season to address projects […]
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FORT WORTH, Texas — A rail authority combining four current or about-to-open commuter rail operations could be an option to help maintain service in North Texas in the face of potential funding cuts, a regional transit official has suggested According to news site Fort Worth Report, Michael Morris, transportation director of the North Central Texas […]
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PITTSBURGH — Wabtec will acquire Dellner Couplers, manufacturer of equipment and services for passenger rail rolling stock, in a $960 million deal, the companies announced today (March 18, 2025). Dellner, based in Sweden, has an 84-year history in train connection systems, with about 100,000 couplers and 12,500 gangways installed worldwide. It has production, assembly, and […]
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DENVER — Luxury train Rocky Mountaineer is transitioning to a new name in the U.S. — Canyon Spirit — as of 2026, when it will also expand its current route from Denver to Salt Lake City as part of a three-day excursion. The U.S. excursions have operated “Rockies to the Red Rocks” trips under the […]
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CALGARY, Alberta — Members of United Steelworkers have ratified a new four-year contract with Canadian Pacific Kansas City, the railroad has announced. The union represents about 600 clerical and intermodal workers in Canada. The railroad did not release terms of the agreement. “We are pleased to have received strong support for another collective agreement, the […]
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SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s bid for a court order to end a strike by 1,500 workers experienced a setback today (March 17, 2025), as a judge ruled the initial filing was not compliant with court rules. Public broadcaster KQED reports Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Daniel T. Nishigaya […]
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LAREDO, Texas — Railroad and logistics company Ironhorse Resources will partner with Kraus Development to develop a 2,000-acre rail industrial park as part of Kraus’ Gateway Industrial Park north of Laredo. The Gateway Rail Industrial Park will be part of a more than 3,300-acre development at the intersection of Interstate 35 and State Route 255, […]
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Canadian Pacific Kansas City CEO Keith Creel is the calm in the center of an international storm that threatens to engulf his railroad. With the 2023 merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, Creel’s CP made a $31 billion all-in bet on the combined railways’ ability to tap growing free trade in North America. […]
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I’ve been around long enough to have caboose memories. Am I really that old? I guess so. When I transferred to Amtrak after 10 years with Seaboard Coast Line, my former freight railroad, we still employed full crews of five persons — an engineer, fireman, and brakeman on the head, with a conductor, and flagman […]
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