OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific set third-quarter records for operating ratio, profits, and earnings per share despite flat traffic volume and the impact of wildfires and bad weather that hurt service reliability. “The Union Pacific team dealt with multiple network disruptions that required us to rebuild bridges, reroute trains, and connect more closely with other […]
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri River Runner, Amtrak’s state-supported St. Louis-Kansas City, Mo., train, is facing a reduction from two daily round trips because of a budget cap imposed by the Missouri Legislature. The $10.8 million limit imposed by the legislature is for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, but that will not […]
WASHINGTON — Unsatisfied with their individual efforts, California’s three entities operating intercity passenger rail corridors announced Wednesday that they have formed a coalition to jointly advocate for their operations. The agencies operating Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliners, and San Joaquin will be linked in an organization known as CIRCLE, an acronym that stands for California’s […]
OTTAWA — Improperly adjusted bolts led to the Sept. 19 derailment that has shut down Ottawa’s O-Train Confederation Line, according to a Wednesday report to the city’s transit commission. CTV News reports Rideau Transit Group, which has the operating and maintenance contract for the Confederation Line, said improperly torqued bolts on the train’s gearbox were […]
MIAMI — South Florida commuter rail operator Tri-Rail will restore service to full pre-pandemic levels as of Monday, Oct. 25, operating 25 round trips on weekdays and 15 on weekends. The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority announced the schedule change on Wednesday. WFOR-TV reports Steven Abrams, the authority’s executive director, said, “Tri-Rail has had one […]
WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic continues to slip compared to 2020, with the latest figures from the Association of American Railroads showing a 4.2% drop from the same week a year ago. For the week ending Oct. 16, the overall volume of 496,983 carloads and intermodal units is, in addition to the decline compared […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation’s third-quarter profits, revenue, and volume all grew thanks to strong freight demand and the railroad’s acquisition of a bulk chemical trucking company. But executives said the railroad would have been able to handle more traffic if not for a persistent worker shortage, as well as the impact of the spike […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has asked the Surface Transportation to take action on two fronts on its pending request for a ruling enabling it to start passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. The company is requesting that the board order CSX and Norfolk Southern to provide access to their properties to prepare for the […]
WHIPPANY, N.J. — A well-known artifact of 1960s and 1970s tourist railroading has been restored to its appearance from that era. Whippany Railway Museum’s 1907 Baldwin-built Southern Railway Class H4 2-8-0 No. 385 has been repainted into the green and gold scheme it wore for the Morris County Central tourist railroad 50 years ago. The […]
CALGARY, Alberta — Higher fuel costs and a disappointing Canadian grain crop weighed on Canadian Pacific’s third-quarter profits, the railway reported today. “There’s certainly challenges ahead as we look forward to our base business. We’ve got a smaller Canadian grain crop, we’ve got some supply chain issues, challenges, that the balance of the industry is also […]
CHICAGO — Metra will restore service to pre-pandemic levels while avoiding fare increases as part of its proposed 2022 proposed operating budget. The agency’s board of directors has also approved a $263 million budget for capital projects. The 2022 operating plan also includes a new $6 day pass that would be valued for unlimited rides […]
MIAMI — Ending a hiatus that began in March 2020 during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brightline is finally restoring its Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Fla., service on Nov. 8. Sixteen weekday round trips and 12 on both weekend days will begin on that date, following essentially the same schedule in effect when […]
