HANOVER, Md. — The Maryland Department of Transportation has awarded $1.2 million in funding as part of the inaugural awards under its Freight Rail Grant Program launched this year. Five projects have received funding under MDOT’s Office of Rail and Intermodal Freight as part of a program to help preserve railroad corridors, support economic development, […]
Andrew Ossler grew up visiting one of North America’s largest railroad museums, located just a short drive from his home. That helped cultivate a passion for railroading in the now 26-year-old, who has since joined the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill., as a key volunteer. A teacher by day, Ossler spends his spare time […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s board of directors will once again provide live streaming of a portion of its next meeting, set for Wednesday, Sept. 10. The live stream is set for noon to 1 p.m. ET. Members of the public who wish to watch on Zoom must register in advance here. There will be no public […]
HAMILTON, Ontario — Canada’s Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, Chrystia Freeland, says the nation’s rail and shipbuilding interests agree they should use as much Canadian-made steel and aluminum as possible as part of their manufacturing efforts. Freeland convened a “Made in Canada” summit meeting in Hamilton on Tuesday including rail manufacturers, shipbuilders, and steel […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic improved slightly over 2024 levels for the week ending Aug. 30, 2025, according to the Association of American Railroads. Weekly rail traffic was 521,502 carloads and intermodal units, a 0.9% increase over the same week a year ago. That ended a two-week interlude in which traffic was slightly below previous-year […]
CINCINNATI — Nickel Plate Road GP9 diesel No. 532 is set for a return to the Midwest and eventual revival. Ownership of the EMD unit, built in 1958, was recently transferred from the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society to the Cincinnati Scenic Railway. The Cincinnati Scenic also recently acquired ex-NKP express boxcar […]
ELKO, British Columbia — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is dispatching investigators to the site of a CPKC derailment on Tuesday night, Sept. 2, 2025, the agency announced. The TSB’s brief announcement said a team of investigators “will gather information and assess the occurrence.” The CBC reports the derailment occurred about 8 p.m. Tuesday […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has granted Metra’s request for terminal trackage rights on three Union Pacific lines in the Chicago area, addressing the commuter operator’s concerns that UP could otherwise choose to halt commuter service in the absence of an operating agreement. The ruling today [Sept. 3, 2025] ensures Metra service will continue […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration will train more than 160 current federal and state track inspectors to handle bridge inspections, as well, the FRA has announced, increasing the number of inspectors who monitor bridges from the current figure of less than 10. The federal track inspectors, as well as those employed by states who […]
In every issue News, p. 4 Newly merged CPKC faces service issues on the former Kansas City Southern Bill Stephens, p. 10 CPKC’s tech troubles cast doubt on new mergers History with Hankey, p. 12 Pullman porters and their long fight for equity Brian Solomon, p. 46 Fathers, sons, and a lifetime love of trains […]
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has called for on-track rail maintenance equipment to be equipped with collision avoidance technology that can detect people or objects prior to a crash. The recommendation came as part of the final investigation report released today (Sept. 3, 2025) on an Aug. 4, 2023, accident in Great Barrington, […]
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit will take over operation and maintenance of the light rail River Line from current contract operator Alstom, a process beginning today, the agency and company have announced. The decision came “after several years of working closely together to assess the conditions of the River Line,” NJ Transit and Alstom said […]
