Bill reintroduced to support freight railcar replacement, upgrades

New brown boxcar

WASHINGTON — Two Illinois congressmen, backed by 39 cosponsors, have reintroduced legislation to provide a tax credit for replacement and modernization of the U.S. freight railcar fleet. U.S. Reps. Darren Hood, a Republican, and Brad Schneider, a Democrat, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, reintroduced HR 1200, the “Freight Rail Assistance and Investment to Launch Coronavirus-era Activity […]

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Arctic blast hinders operations on BNSF’s Northern Transcon

FORT WORTH, Texas — Extreme cold has hobbled BNSF Railway’s operations on its Northern Transcon in North Dakota and Montana. “The extreme cold affecting the Northern Transcon route through Montana and North Dakota, with temperatures plunging over 20 degrees below zero in some areas overnight, has hindered normal train operations,” BNSF said in a customer […]

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Amtrak employee pleads guilty in health-care fraud case

U.S. Department of Justice seal

NEWARK, N.J. — An Amtrak employee in New Jersey has become the latest to plead guilty to participation in a health-care fraud scheme that led more than $11 million in fraudulent claims against the passenger carrier’s insurance. Anthony Saloka, 44, of Elizabeth, N.J., pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Feb. 11, to conspiracy to commit health care […]

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Railroads shut out of 250 best-managed companies list

Coal train passes interlocking tower in snow

No railroads landed on the Wall Street Journal’s ranking of the 250 best-managed companies of 2024. The annual Management Top 250 list measures corporate effectiveness by considering performance in five areas, including customer satisfaction, employee engagement, innovation, social responsibility, and financial strength. The ranking, developed and compiled by the Drucker Institute, is based on data […]

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Charlotte council approves financing for purchase of rail line

Map of rail line between Charlotte and Mt. Mourne, N.C.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte’s city council has approved financing to purchase 22 miles of a Norfolk Southern rail line for a proposed commuter rail operation. WCNC-TV reports the council unanimously approved a plan not to exceed $93 million to finance purchase of the NS O-Line from Charlotte to Davidson, north of the city, along with […]

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Maya Train budget slashed by Mexico’s president

Pasenger train in shadows at station

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s Maya Train project has been hit by a major budget cut, while at least one other rail infrastructure program has seen a significant boost as President Claudia Sheinbaum shifts priorities, the news site La Verdad Noticias reports. Funding to complete the tourism-oriented Maya Train, meanwhile saw a 70.7% cut, from 125.9 […]

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CSX seeks systemwide agreement with conductors

yellow and blue train on track

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX wants to create a single, systemwide contract covering conductors represented by the SMART-TD union. The railroad currently has three regional contract agreements with the union. In a notice to conductors, CSX says that consolidating those contracts into one “will allow CSXT to better utilize trainmen employees throughout CSXT’s system, improve train […]

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Most FRA employees eligible for federal employee buyout program

Logo for Federal Railroad Administration

WASHINGTON — Federal Railroad Administration employees were among the government workers offered buyouts as part of the sweeping changes the Trump administration is making to streamline the federal government. But the FRA’s 350 rail safety inspectors were exempt from the “deferred resignation program” due to their role in protecting public safety, an agency spokesman says. […]

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Railway 200: Celebrating railroading’s bicentennial

Steam locomotive with a short passenger train rolling through the English countryside

In 2025, the United Kingdom is celebrating Railway 200, marking the bi-centenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, which opened for service on Sept. 27, 1825. More than just an historical commemoration, Railway 200 is a great public awareness campaign encompassing dozens of separately organized events across the UK and beyond aiming to entertain, educate […]

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