Progress Rail, Norfolk Southern unveil first GP34ECO

Black and green locomotive

Progress Rail and Norfolk Southern have unveiled the first GP34ECO locomotive, built for yard and intermediate operations to meet Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 emission standards. The locomotive, intended to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 90% compared to older locomotives, is currently undergoing testing for EPA certification. It is powered by a 3,000-hp 12-710 EMD […]

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Great Plains museum welcomes steam locomotive for Railfest

Logo of the Great Plains Transportation Museum

WICHITA, Kan. — The Great Plains Transportation Museum will be offering rides behind a visiting steam locomotive over the next two weekends to raise funds for the restoration of its Santa Fe FP45, part of the railroad’s last order for passenger locomotives. The rides behind Lehigh Valley Coal Co. No. 126, a 0-6-0T built by […]

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Analysis: Coal producers bet on met (coal) in 2022

Black locomotives lead train around curve in mountains

Part two of a look at the U.S. coal industry. CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The COVID-19 pandemic may have shuttered economies and slowed industrial momentum, but a global rebound is helping coal producers refocus their long game on metallurgical coal investment as a broader initiative to diversify the sector. Met coal is a higher-priced coal used […]

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Weekly U.S. rail traffic remains below 2020 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. rail traffic by commodity and intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — Reduced intermodal traffic continued to drop weekly U.S. rail volume below 2020 levels, despite an increase in carloads, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending Sept. 25, U.S. railroads moved 511,713 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.3% from the corresponding week in 2020. That included […]

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Toronto prepares to open new light rail line in 2022 (corrected)

Black and white light rail trainset on tracks in center of roadway

TORONTO — The next generation of transit in Canada’s largest city is expected to debut in 2022 when the Eglinton Crosstown light rail line begins service. The 19-kilometer (11.8-mile) east-west line will traverse the mid-section of Toronto along Eglinton Avenue, through densely packed residential and commercial neighborhoods both at grade and with 10 kilometers (6.2 […]

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News Photos: VIA’s first Siemens trainsets arrive in Canada

Passenger equipment pulled by Canadian National locomotive

TORONTO — The first portion of VIA’s C$989 million order for 32 Siemens Charger trainsets has arrived in Canada. Running in darkness in Michigan and Ontario, it arrived in Toronto early Wednesday. With urgency, the train operated as CN P698 from Chicago to Montreal, arriving in Montreal less than 24 hours after it departed Chicago, […]

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