PHILADELPHIA — Scott Sauer has been named interim general manager of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and assumed those duties this week, the agency has announced. Sauer joined SEPTA in 1990 as a train operator, following in the footsteps of his late father, Robert, who worked for SEPTA and the predecessor Philadelphia Transportation Co. for […]
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, caretakers for Portland-owned steam locomotives Southern Pacific No. 4449 and Spokane, Portland & Seattle No. 700, will purchase Portland-area short line Oregon Pacific Railroad, the foundation has announced. Foundation President Rick Franklin said in a press release that the acquisition “honors Dick Samuels’ remarkable legacy while securing […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canadian Pacific Kansas City has ordered an additional 98 fuel cell engines for its hydrogen locomotive program, supplier Ballard Power Systems announced today (Dec. 5). The 98 engines each are capable of generating approximately 200 kilowatts, giving the total order about 20 megawatts of power. Ballard has previously supplied approximately 10 […]
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch has recused himself from the pending case involving the Uinta Basin Railway, which is set to be argued before the court next week. NBC News reports that lawyers involved in the case were informed of the move in a letter sent on Wednesday, Dec. 4. The letter from […]
WASHINGTON — The Thanksgiving holiday once again made for a big change in U.S. weekly rail traffic statistics. This time, that change was negative. U.S. rail traffic was down 13.8% from the same week in 2023, a week after it showed a whopping 25.6% gain [see “Weekly U.S. rail traffic shows major bump,” Trains News […]
SEATTLE — The big takeaway from this year’s annual Amtrak Board of Directors public meeting is that the company has momentum to keep growing patronage despite any headwinds that might begin blowing when the Trump Administration and an all-Republican Congress take over in January. The session today (Wednesday, Dec. 4) was held at a ballroom […]
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Canadian Pacific Kansas City CEO Keith Creel is confident that free trade will continue in North America despite President-elect Donald J. Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and Canada. U.S. trade with Mexico and Canada has grown since the Trump-driven USMCA trade agreement replaced NAFTA and […]
A new preservation group, Northeast Rail Heritage, Inc., announced Tuesday (Dec. 3) that it has purchased former Amtrak AEM7 electric locomotive No. 927, built in 1981 for high-speed passenger service on the Northeast Corridor and Keystone Corridor. It was retired in 2016. Using technology from ASEA-built Statens Järnvägar (Swedish State Railways) Rc4 B-B locomotives, General […]
NEW YORK — Is the world’s most beautiful passenger station interior in New York City? UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — says yes, although if you want to get technical about it, the station isn’t in New York City so much as it is under it. Grand Central Madison — […]
In every issue News, p. 4 InnoTrans brings together the rail world’s new products Bill Stephens, p. 8 Amtrak flexes legal muscles vs. its host railroads John Hankey, p. 10 First day: You never know how things will turn out Great Railfan Roads, p. 44 Across the Canadian prairies Brian Solomon, p. 48 Cool train […]
WASHINGTON — One year ago this week Canadian National announced its $230 million deal to acquire the 218-mile Iowa Northern Railway. Today CN should be 100 days into integrating Iowa Northern into its 18,800-mile system, assuming regulatory approval of the acquisition. Or CN should be licking its wounds, in the unlikely event that the Surface […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak spent $4.5 billion on infrastructure projects in fiscal 2024, along with setting ridership and revenue records, the company said today. Trains News Wire previously provided analysis on the fiscal 2024 results (see “Amtrak notches ridership and revenue record …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 25, 2024), but the company’s announcement highlights the overall […]
