Analysis: Merger hopes dashed, CN now faces fierce backlash

JJ Ruest standing in front of trains

There is no joy in Mudville – er, Montreal – today because the mighty CN has struck out. Canadian National suffered a stinging defeat on Tuesday when U.S. federal regulators effectively killed its proposed merger with Kansas City Southern. CN won’t get to create the first railway connecting Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. And it […]

Read More…

Remnants of Ida cause major rail disruptions (updated)

Rail signal rising above large area of water

Rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida is causing major havoc with travelers in the Northeast, with Amtrak service halted between Philadelphia and Boston, major disruptions to New York subways and commuter rail service, and NJ Transit cancelling almost all rail service. Amtrak has now cancelled all Northeast Corridor service between Washington and Boston for […]

Read More…

German rail operator seeks injunction to end strike

German_Trains_Lassen

FRANKFURT, Germany — National rail operator Deutsche Bahn is seeking an injunction to end the third strike in a month by German train drivers, saying the action is not within “the relevant legal framework.” TheLocal.de reports the Frankfurt am Main labor court will hold a hearing on the injunction Thursday beginning at 6 p.m. local […]

Read More…

ASLRRA honors four railroads for business development

American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association logo

WASHINGTON — The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association is honoring four railroads with its Business Development Award for excellence in growing traffic in partnership with customers and local economic development authorities. The railroads, to be recognized at the annual ASLRRA Convention and Exhibition in Phoenix in November, are Iron Horse Resources’ Santa Teresa […]

Read More…

August rail traffic falls from 2020 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. rail traffic by commodity type

WASHINGTON — Carloads were up and intermodal traffic was down in August, compared to the same month in 2020, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. The month saw U.S. railroads originiate 934,762 carloads in August, an increase of 36,815, or 4.1%, over 2020. The 1,085,345 containers and trailers moved in the month, […]

Read More…

Canadian Pacific sets KCS merger deadline, applauds STB decision

Logos for Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and Kansas City Southern

CALGARY, Alberta – Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel says Tuesday’s Surface Transportation Board decision that rules out a Canadian National-Kansas City Southern merger proves what he’s been saying all along. “The ruling … confirms what we’ve always believed to be true. And I’ll use their words: A CP-KCS combination is substantially different, substantially different. Those are […]

Read More…

Kansas City Southern to adjourn planned meeting on CN offer

Kansas City Southern logo

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern says it will adjourn its scheduled stockholders meeting, which had been set for Friday to consider Canadian National’s merger agreement, as a result of Tuesday’s Surface Transportation Board decision to deny a voting trust while the CN-KCS plan was undergoing regulatory scrutiny. That meeting is set for 9 […]

Read More…

Preview: Pullman National Monument Visitor Center opens

Multi-story brick building with center clock tower

CHICAGO — Mirroring a song from the hit musical “Hamilton,” the formal opening of the Pullman National Monument Visitors Center on Chicago’s South Side will give participants a sense of “the room where it happened.” The “room,” in this case, is the long-shuttered Clock Tower Administration Building and grounds that were the birthplace of assembly-line […]

Read More…

Sound Transit introduces new names, color coding for rail lines

Map of Seattle-area transit routes

SEATTLE — Sound Transit is renaming and color-coding its rail transit network, reflecting the continued growth of a system that will eventually grow to include five light-rail routes and two commuter-rail lines, as well as three bus rapid transit lines. On its website, the agency says the change reflects research showing letters and numbers are […]

Read More…