CHICAGO — As of today, top speeds are rising from 79 to 90 mph on much of Amtrak’s Chicago-St. Louis Lincoln Service corridor. With signal system testing complete and certified for reliability by the Federal Railroad Administration, the higher speed will be allowed between Laraway Road, south of Joliet, Ill., and CP Wann, two miles […]
KAMLOOPS, British Columbia — VIA Rail Canada’s Canadian, luxury cruise train Rocky Mountaineer, and Amtrak’s Coast Starlight have had their operations disrupted by western wildfires, with trains running over only part of their routes because of fire damage. The wildfire that decimated the town of Lytton, B.C., halted last week’s westbound Canadian about 100 miles […]
Intermodal analyst Larry Gross has gone out on a limb. In his latest “Intermodal in Depth” report, Gross predicts the demise of TOFC, or trailer on flatcar service, within the next four years. In some ways, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Trailers have become a smaller and smaller part of the intermodal world as […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Fires and extreme weather are disrupting Union Pacific operations in the West and Midwest, the railroad has informed customers. In Northern California, the Lava fire, in Siskiyou Canyon and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, is disrupting operations between Redding, Calif., and Eugene, Ore. The railroad is assessing damage to infrastructure including the Dry […]
AMES, Iowa — Twenty-seven cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Thursday afternoon in Ames, briefly leaking propane from one car. KDSM-TV reports the derailment occurred about 1:30 p.m., with Ames Fire Chief Rich Higgins saying he did send an evacuation notice to nearby industrial plants after the propane leak was discovered. A Union Pacific […]
HOUSTON — Union Pacific today posted several images on Facebook and Twitter of its specially painted “We Are One” locomotive, which celebrates the company’s diversity and honors its Employee Resource Groups. The locomotive was unveiled Saturday at a Juneteenth event in Houston. The locomotive, a product of the railroad’s North Little Rock, Ark., shops, is […]
Tehachapi Loop viewing platform could open by mid-July Ground has been broken on a new viewing platform at California’s Tehachapi Loop, with completion expected by mid-July. The Tehachapi News reports the platform will end the need for those viewing trains at the loop to stand along a narrow shoulder of Woodford-Tehachapi Road, easing safety concerns. […]
Lawsuit challenges unique legal status of Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District The Indiana Supreme Court will review the unique legal status of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, operator of South Shore Line commuter trains, as a result of a lawsuit filed by a Hobart, Ind., man who was injured while performing track maintenance work. […]
HOUSTON — Union Pacific has announced a summer tour for its “We Are One” locomotive commemorating diversity and honoring the work of railroad’s nine Employee Resource Groups in supporting diversity, inclusion, and equality. The locomotive, previewed by the railroad in May [see “Union Pacific announces locomotive honoring Employee Resource Groups,” Trains News Wire, May 27, […]
WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation is hiring more conductors and says its service is improving thanks to operational adjustments that have reduced congestion, particularly along the Gulf Coast. “We’re making significant progress and we recognize there is more to be done,” CSX CEO Jim Foote wrote in a letter today to the Surface Transportation Board. “We are […]
Judge delays closure of UP car shop until at least July 8 A district court judge in Texas has blocked Union Pacific’s plans to close its Palestine, Texas, car shop at least until a July 8 hearing that is part of the efforts by the city of Palestine and Anderson County, Texas, to prevent the […]
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 will return to action Aug. 5, beginning a 10-state tour to include Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming. In a message today, UP said the full itinerary has not yet been set, but offered this information where and when the locomotive […]
