ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — Regularly scheduled passenger service at the East Broad Top Railroad is set to resume June 11, the first time the railroad has operated regularly since 2011, according to the nonprofit EBT Foundation Inc., owner of the historic narrow gauge line in central Pennsylvania. One-hour, diesel-powered excursions will take place on alternate […]
ST. JACOBS, Ontario — Canadian National has retired its final two GMD1 locomotives as of April 28, but at least one will be preserved. As many as 14 were on the roster until recently, with fewer actually in service. But the numbers for the Winnipeg- and Toronto-based locomotives dwindled quickly, as CN parked the venerable […]
Senators’ legislation would provide $500 million annually for grade-crossing separation, other improvements U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Roy Blunt (R.-Mo.) have introduced legislation to provide $2.5 billion — $500 million annually for five years — for grade-crossing separation projects and other track relocation projects to improve safety or reduce congestion. “Too many people are […]
WASHINGTON — Three members of Congress have introduced legislation to give Amtrak the ability to take host railroads to court over on-time performance issues. The Rail Passenger Fairness Act, introduced by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durban (D-Ill), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr. (D-N.J.), addresses one of the facets of […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Southern board of directors will have to weigh dueling bids for the railway, pitting Canadian Pacific’s friendly $29 billion deal against Canadian National’s unsolicited $33.7 billion offer. Analysts say that CP’s bid, while lower, is almost certain to gain regulatory approval. CN’s bid is more attractive for investors, but […]
Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel yesterday told a shipper group that his railroad can’t win a bidding war for Kansas City Southern. Creel also wouldn’t rule out cooperating with Canadian National and KCS on some level, and said that if CN and KCS were to merge, leaving CP as the smallest Class I railroad, CP […]
WASHINGTON —The latest salvo in Amtrak’s attempt to launch two daily round trips between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., has landed at the Surface Transportation Board in the passenger railroad’s 80-page “Response in Opposition to the Motion to Dismiss.” Responding to a 284-page filing by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern on April 5, the passenger […]
Selected comments of politicians, organizations, and communities on the fight over Gulf Coast passenger service, as expressed in letters to the Surface Transportation Board [see “Analysis: Amtrak defends its Gulf Coast access request in new STB filing,” Trains News Wire, April 29, 2021]: Calling for completion of traffic modeling Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R): “For […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has issued its two most consequential documents of the year, which show where management intends to take the company and what it would like from Congress to achieve those goals. The 77-page General and Legislative Annual Report and Fiscal Year 2022 Grant Request, available here, asks Congress to almost double its pre-2020 […]
Biden nominates former FRA official Hedlund for STB President Joe Biden has nominated Karen Hedlund to serve on the Surface Transportation Board, filling the one current vacancy on the five-person board. A White House press release says Hedland has served as chief council for the Federal Highway Adminstration, and chief counsel and deputy administrator for […]
U.S. House member seeks funds for next step in Metra yard relocation project U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) is seeking $4 million to support relocation of a Metra yard on the UP Northwest line from Crystal Lake, Ill., to rural Woodstock, which could accommodate a full-service facility not possible at the current facility, limited by […]
WASHINGTON — While U.S. rail freight traffic continues to far outdistance 2020 volume, which was depressed at this time a year ago because of shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, it also continues to show week-to-week improvement in 2021. The latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads show U.S. railroads moved 240,075 carloads in […]
