Canadian Pacific and Canadian National have welcomed the new year by announcing the latest in an ongoing string of records for Canadian grain movement. Canadian Pacific closed out 2020 by setting records in a calendar year, quarter, and the month of December. The railroad moved 31.32 million metric tons of grain in 2020, with 8.84 […]
In a year when all of the big Class I railroads lost volume due to the economic impact of the pandemic, Canadian Pacific came out on top. CP’s volume declined 2.2% in 2020, well above the average 6.8% decline of the big six systems, according to a Trains News Wire review of the railroads’ weekly […]
More Monday morning rail news: Sounder North service cancelled after mudslide Sound Transit’s Sounder North commuter service has been cancelled for today after heavy rains led to a mudslide on Saturday between the Mukilteo and Edmonds stations. Operational protocols on the line call for passenger service to be halted for at least 48 hours following […]
By: Steve Smedley TREGO, Wis. — As winter holds an icy grip on Northwestern Wisconsin, the restoration of the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad’s Mark Twain Zephyr continues. One of nine Zephyrs built by the Budd Co. for the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad, the Wisconsin Great Northern acquired the train last year and is restoring […]
Monday morning rail news: S.S. Badger, last of Great Lakes rail ferries, has new owner The last survivor of the railroad car ferries that once crossed the Great Lakes, and the last coal-fired passenger steamship in the United States, has changed hands. The Maritime Executive reports the S.S. Badger, built in 1952 for Chesapeake & […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has begun testing Wabtec’s battery electric FLXdrive locomotive in revenue service between Barstow and Stockton, Calif. The red and gray FLXdrive locomotive, Wabtec 3000, is spliced between a pair of conventional Wabtec Tier 4 locomotives for pilot runs that will extend through March. The first train out of Barstow […]
CHICAGO — In a period when the COVID-19 pandemic has made travel more of a last-minute decision than it has been in the past, a Trains News Wire review shows Amtrak passengers on the Northeast Corridor continued to purchase tickets throughout the New Year’s holiday weekend. Such late decisions are not an option for passengers on many […]
With much appreciation to our sponsor, Sigma, we are excited to announce the 2021 contest. The challenges of this past year have taught us new things about ourselves and the world. But they’ve also raised questions, including about the future of railroading and how passenger and freight railroads, large and small, respond to difficult times, […]
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By: Jim Wrinn RIDGELEY, W.Va. — The Last Baldwin is running again. Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s former Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 made its first move under its own power in 64 years on Dec. 31. It was the start of test runs for the world’s largest operating Mallet (which uses its steam twice) […]
The approach with which most nations addressed the spread of the coronavirus — one of regional and national lockdowns, and border closures — took a heavy toll on rail systems around the world. The pattern began after the COVID-19 virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Most rail traffic in China, especially […]
EAGLE COUNTY, COLO. — The former Denver & Rio Grande Western Tennessee Pass line will apparently live again. Rail holding company Rio Grande Pacific has announced it has reached agreement with Union Pacific to lease the Colorado route, and its Colorado Midland & Pacific Railway has filed a request with the Surface Transportation Board for […]
