Buckingham Branch petitions to acquire line leased from CSX

Buckingham Branch Railroad logo

WASHINGTON — Virginia’s Buckingham Branch Railroad seeks to acquire a line that it presently leases from CSX Transportation. It encompasses 164.22 miles of line from milepost 276 in Clifton Forge to milepost 111.78 at Doswell. The railroad has leased the line, part of which hosts Amtrak’s Cardinal, since 2005. It was originally Chesapeake & Ohio. […]

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St. Louis TRRA Merchants Bridge project reaches major milestone

Red crane hovers over bridge truses in front of St. Louis Arch

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis Railroad reached a major milestone on Friday when the first of three replacement spans on the Merchants Bridge was floated into position on the Mississippi River at St. Louis. Owned by the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, the Merchants Bridge project is a […]

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Will railroads emerge winners from efforts to fight climate change?

Formal portrait of man in suit and tie

CHICAGO –—Climate change provides an opportunity for railroads, even as more frequent extreme weather events take a toll on railroad operations and infrastructure and require investments in new locomotive technology, executives told a shipper conference last week. The increased emphasis on sustainability is a tremendous opportunity for rail carriers, BNSF CEO Katie Farmer told the […]

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Brightline, FEC activate first new double-track segment this week

Red-and-yellow locomotives with fuel tender cross street

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It’s only 13 miles of a 129-mile project, but this week’s planned activation of a second main track between West Palm Beach and Jupiter, Fla., represents tangible progress in Brightline’s northward expansion. Restoration of the second main on Florida East Coast’s line to Cocoa, Fla., helps establish a fluid, 110-mph-capable […]

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Wabtec, Genesee & Wyoming, Carnegie Mellon form consortium for rail sustainability effort

Red and gray locomotive parked on track along river

PITTSBURGH — A rail manufacturer, shortline holding company, and university have announced formation of a consortium that they hope will revolutionize American railroading and eventually reduce the industry’s carbon footprint to zero. Pittsburgh-based Wabtec Corp.; Carnegie Mellon University, known for its engineering curriculum; and shortline and regional railroad operator Genesee & Wyoming announced Friday, Sept. 10, […]

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UP restores additional service in New Orleans

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

NEW ORLEANS — Union Pacific reports additional service has been restored in the New Orleans area as of Tuesday, including the reopening of its Avondale, La., intermodal facility. Also restored are interchange with CSX and the New Orleans Public Belt; interchange with the New Orleans & Gulf Coast, a 32-mile short line spun off from […]

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Chesapeake Western

Green and gray diesel locomotive coupled to boxcars with men in white hats in the cab

Chesapeake Western Chesapeake Western DS-4-4-660 No. 662 switches at Harrisonburg, Va., on September 15, 1958. It was one of three such 1946 Baldwins on the 54-mile road. J.W. Swanberg photo […]

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ASLRRA honors four railroads for business development

American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association logo

WASHINGTON — The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association is honoring four railroads with its Business Development Award for excellence in growing traffic in partnership with customers and local economic development authorities. The railroads, to be recognized at the annual ASLRRA Convention and Exhibition in Phoenix in November, are Iron Horse Resources’ Santa Teresa […]

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