Union Pacific plans to end container embargo after one week

LOS ANGELES — Union Pacific will resume international container shipments to Chicago from the West Coast at the end of its current seven-day suspension of such service, CEO Lance Fritz told Reuters on Thursday. “We’re starting to see containers clear, so I anticipate in the seven-day period … we should get back down to a […]

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Reading & Northern acquires 11 ex-San Luis & Rio Grande cars

Train with steam locomotive approaches through rock cut

PORT CLINTON, Pa. — The Reading & Northern Railroad has purchased 11 passenger cars from the fleet formerly owned by the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad, the Colorado operation of bankrupt Iowa Pacific Holdings. Among the cars bought at auction are several notables, including the former Southern Railway steam program open-air coach Lookout Mountain […]

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STB chairman wades into intermodal terminal congestion issues

Man with gray hair speaking

WASHINGTON — Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman today asked the Class I railroads to provide information on congestion at inland intermodal terminals, where international containers are stacking up faster than customers can receive them. “I am particularly concerned about significant increases in container congestion at key U.S. terminals, and substantial charges being levied by […]

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Europe looks to rail to move parcels and small-volume freight

Men loading boxes onto streetcar

Spurred by the growth in home delivery during the pandemic, the desire by legislators to reduce goods vehicle use in cities, and a shortage of drivers in several countries, rail operators in Britain, Italy, and Germany are looking at offering new services with rebuilt equipment for parcels and light freight. Two different projects in the […]

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ScaleTrains.com N scale UP standard turbine

N scale UP standard turbine

A powerful and technologically innovative locomotive unique to the Union Pacific is the latest N scale offering from ScaleTrains.com’s high-end Rivet Counter line. The standard turbine, a 4,500hp jet-age marvel, was developed by Alco/General Electric in response to UP’s constant drive for more potent motive power. ScaleTrains.com’s version captures the appearance and spirit of the […]

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Analysis: Former BNSF executive Matt Rose’s 2019 warning comes true

seated man in suit with microphone

The railroad industry’s chickens have come home to roost. Before he retired in 2019, BNSF Railway Executive Chairman Matt Rose warned that the other Class I railroads were inviting regulatory risk by adopting Precision Scheduled Railroading, reducing service, and demarketing some types of traffic in pursuit of higher profits. “We have this common-carrier obligation to […]

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Union Pacific reports record financial results

Train rounds curve in late afternoon sunlight

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific reported record financial results on Thursday, including new marks for operating income, net income, earnings per share, and operating ratio. “We pulled all three profitability levers simultaneously: volume, price, and productivity,” CEO Lance Fritz told investors and analysts on the railroad’s earnings call. The railroad improved its outlook and now expects […]

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Amtrak, regional agency agree on study of Scranton-NYC service

Map showing possible new Amtrak routes

SCRANTON, Pa. — Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority have reached agreement on a study to assess a potential route between Scranton and New York City. The Pocono Record reports Amtrak will look at the route’s infrastructure and estimate possible ridership and revenue, with the authority covering the $400,000 cost of the study. […]

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