LONDON — British rail infrastructure owner Network Rail has appointed two specialist contractors to deliver an industry-first “pathfinder” project fitting positive train control to heritage steam and diesel locomotives. The consortium of Atkins (part of the SNC-Lavalin Group) and Thales is undertaking the work as part of Network Rail’s “East Coast Digital Programm” which will […]
OMAHA — Union Pacific and its unions are suing each other over the vaccination requirement announced by the railroad last week. The Associated Press reports the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division, or SMART-TD, filed suit last week contending UP should have negotiated before announcing the vaccine requirement. The same day, UP sued […]
NEW YORK — Two New York City commissioners are joining the Metropolitan Transportation Authority as part of a reorganization that will reduce the number of people reporting directly to the CEO, at the same time the agency does away with its transformation plan. Politico reports Lisette Camillo, commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National CEO JJ Ruest will retire in January, the railroad announced today amid the ongoing proxy contest launched by activist investor TCI Fund Management. No successor was named, and CN’s announcement came a day after TCI released its plan touting former CN Chief Operating Officer Jim Vena as its chief executive candidate […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National announced that Jean-Jacques Ruest will retire as president and CEO and as a member of the board of directors, effective as of the end of January 2022, or such later time as a successor has been appointed. “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank JJ for his dedicated […]
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators on Monday received a flurry of last-minute comments regarding CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways. The filings – from federal and state transportation officials, Norfolk Southern, and Genesee & Wyoming – were submitted on the deadline to respond to comments already made to the Surface Transportation Board […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City Southern’s profits slumped in the third quarter due to the impact of merger-related costs, but revenue was up sharply even as volumes declined slightly as a result of auto assembly plant shutdowns and protests that blocked the railroad’s route to a key Mexican port. The railroad today reported that […]
WASHINGTON — Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman has asked CSX Transportation CEO Jim Foote to explain ongoing service problems that range from missed switches and unfulfilled car orders to delayed manifest and bulk shipments. “Over the past several months the Board has continued to receive a steady stream of complaints about the adequacy […]
WASHINGTON — The DC Metrorail train that derailed Oct. 12, stranding passengers in a tunnel near Arlington National Cemetery, had derailed twice before that day, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday, and other cars in the same order had been involved in 31 failures since 2017. The Washington Post reports that inspections last week […]
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Dome-lounge-observation Tweedsmuir Park brings up the rear of VIA Rail Canada’s Churchill-Winnipeg train No. 692 at Roblin, Man., on Oct. 18, marking the return of the Park class cars to the remote-service train for the first time since spring 2020. The train’s nine-car consist — including three coaches, three Chateau-series sleepers, a […]
LONDON — TCI Fund Management today released its plan to improve Canadian National’s operational and financial performance, saying that replacing CEO JJ Ruest with former CN Chief Operating Officer Jim Vena would usher in a new era of growth and profitability. But TCI’s plan, included with the launch of a website called cnbackontrack.com, sets no […]
MARIETTA, Okla. — At least four people were reported injured Friday night when Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer hit a truck carrying automobiles, derailing the locomotive and apparently causing vehicles from the truck to strike one of the passenger cars. A Facebook post from the Love County, Okla., Fire Department reports the auto carrier had become high-centered […]
