PUEBLO, Colo.— Efforts to create a passenger rail service along Colorado’s densely populated corridor between Fort Collins and Pueblo took a major step forward Wedneday, as Gov. Jared Polis has signed the bill creating a special taxation district to help fund the project. Senate Bill 238 does not guarantee funding for the project, as state […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. freight volume for the week ending June 26 remained well ahead of figures for the same week a year earlier, while also showing a small uptick from previous-week figures. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show that U.S. railroads moved 516,167 carloads and intermodal units for the week, a 12.4% increase […]
WASHINGTON — Five rail-related projects are among 24 selected to receive $905.25 million in federal grants under the fiscal 2021 Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program. The announcement of the proposed awards begins a 60-day period for Congress to review the proposed awards; after that review period, the U.S. Department of Transportation is free to […]
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 […]
CHICAGO — Witnesses report a vehicle drove around crossing gates before being struck by a Metra train Sunday evening in an accident that killed three people in the car — including a 5-year-old girl — and injured the train’s engineer, conductor and three passengers while derailing the cab car. The Chicago Tribune reports the collision […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has questioned Canadian National’s plan to sell Kansas City Southern’s route between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La., as part of the planned merger of the two railroads, a plan which would see CN retain the right to operate on the route along with a freight tenant. The Amtrak comment came as […]
LEBANON, Ohio— An Electro-Motive Division GP10 road-switcher painted in blue with authentic Conrail markings will be pulling tourist trains for the Cincinnati Scenic Railway, beginning in August. The unit was built as Illinois Central GP9 No. 9037 in June 1954 and later rebuilt to a GP10 in a capital overhaul program at IC/Illinois Central Gulf’s […]
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Estimates for a transit plan including commuter rail service for Charlotte have risen to $13.6 billion and could easily fluctuate over the almost two decades to complete the projects, the Charlotte city council was told at a Monday meeting. The Charlotte Observer reports preliminary estimates from an advisory group had placed the […]
NEWBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Cleanup continued Tuesday after 33 cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed Monday afternoon midway between Harrisburg and York, Pa. The York Daily Record reports plastic PVC pellets spilled from one car, and hazmat teams were part of the initial response to the derailment because some of the cars involved displayed […]
The Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden in May operated all three of its restored steam power, the famous Rio Grande Southern 4-6-0 No. 20, 2-8-0 No. 346, and 2-8-2 No. 491 for a special weekend. […]
WASHINGTON – Canadian National says it now has more than 1,700 letters of support for its proposed merger with Kansas City Southern. But in a flurry of regulatory filings submitted before a deadline on Monday, opposition grew to CN’s plan to put KCS in a voting trust while the merger is under review. Major shipping […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — It was only $10 million out of a $7 billion state omnibus transportation package, but the legislation signed into law on Monday by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz adds the last required match to a $31.8 million 2020 Federal Railroad Administration grant that paves the way for a second Amtrak round-trip between […]
