ALTOONA, Pa. – With the inspection, cleaning and conditioning of the drivers of former Pennsylvania Railroad Class K4s 4-6-2 steam engine No. 1361 by Strasburg Rail Road’s mechanical department, the locomotive’s $2.4 million restoration has moved symbolically past the halfway point, according to the engine’s owner, the Railroaders Memorial Museum. The six 80-inch drivers made […]
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority on Thursday announced it has selected a construction consortium for the second part of the Long Bridge Project, the new two-track bridge across the Potomac River between Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va. Long Bridge Rail Partners — a joint venture of Trumbull Corp., Fay, S&B USA Construction, […]
TORONTO — Ontario transit agency Metrolinx has signed an agreement with Alstom to overhaul 181 bilevel railcars for Toronto-area commuter rail operator GO Transit. The agreement, valued at approximately Ca$500 million ($347 million U.S.), calls for overhauls and modernization of the Series VIII cars to be conducted at Alstom’s Thunder Bay, Ont., plant beginning by […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Notes from the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers’ Winter Meeting, which concluded today (Jan. 16, 2025): The Iowa Northern decision The MARS meeting opened the day after the Surface Transportation Board issued its long-awaited decision approving Canadian National’s purchase of Iowa Northern Railway, a deal effective Feb. 13 [see “STB greenlights Canadian […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.) has been named chair of the Subcomittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) announced this week. Rouzer, beginning his sixth term in the House, is one of six chairmen of Transportaiton and Infrasturcture subcommittees chosen this week. “Having served on the […]
EMDs SD90MAC Convertibles were a product of the mid-1990s, when EMD and GE were in a horsepower race to produce the first 6,000 hp AC locomotives. EMD would offer the SD90MAC model which would feature a four-stroke 265H engine, with Union Pacific being the first customer to commit to the model long before the first […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Approaching the likely end of his tenure as chairman of the Surface Transportation Board, Robert Primus made it clear: the hearing the board held last fall on growth in the rail industry did not ease his concerns about Class I efforts to increase volume. In a rare address today (Jan. 16, 2025) […]
Normally the addition of a 3.5-mile stretch of second main line isn’t a cause for celebration. But when those 3.5 miles happen to be the final section of regular double track added to BNSF Railway’s 2,200-mile Southern Transcon, well, then it’s a major milestone. BNSF cut over the new trackage between Rose Hill and Mulvane, […]
MONTREAL – Canadian National today unveiled its first new medium horsepower hybrid electric locomotive, a Q19-2.4GH developed in collaboration with Knoxville Locomotive Works. The 3,200 horsepower unit, No. 7100, includes a modern control system and is powered by a 2.4MWh-700HP battery-diesel engine that is 100% biofuel ready. Former BNSF Railway Genset 3GS21B No. 1259 was […]
WASHINGTON — Carload traffic was down considerably but intermodal volume remained strong in the latest report on U.S. weekly rail traffic. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, traffic for the week ending Jan. 11, 2025, included 465,390 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.8% from the same week in 2024. That included 199,511 […]
CALGARY — Members of Canadian union Unifor have voted to authorize a strike against Canadian Pacific Kansas City if the railroad and union do not reach a new deal by Jan. 29, 2025. The union said the vote was 99% in favor of authorization by members of Local 101R, which represents more than 1,200 CPKC […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The question of the day, on the first day of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting, is probably one being asked in one form or another at every business in the United States — or that does business with the U.S. What about tariffs? The consensus during today’s first day […]
