ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has terminated plans for a transload facility at the site of the former Chattahoochee Brick Co. in Atlanta, which Atlanta officials sought to stop because of the dark history of the site. The plant used prison labor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it is believed laborers who […]
Camden, N.J., transportation center to receive $250 million renovation The Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden, N.J. – a hub for NJ Transit RiverLine light rail, PATCO rapid transit, 26 NJ Transit bus lines, and a proposed light rail route – will receive a $250 million renovation. NJ.com reports New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced […]
Union Pacific plans to reopen all intermodal terminals by Friday after closing them earlier this week because of the impacts of winter storms across the nation. In a customer advisory posted Thursday afternoon, the railroad said the Chicago area continued to work through significant snow removal, and additional snowfall in the Little Rock and Pine […]
Biden Administration change in FTA funding policy could boost Gateway Project The Biden Administration has reversed a Federal Transit Administration policy on funding that originated in the Trump Administration, increasing the prospects of the long-stalled Gateway Project to build new Hudson River tunnels to New York’s Penn Station. NJ.com reports the FTA said it would […]
U.S. rail freight traffic remained ahead of previous-year levels, although barely, in the latest weekly statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending Feb. 13, U.S. railroads moved 269,063 trailers and containers, a 6.9% increase over intermodal units for the corresponding week in 2020. The 211,420 carloads, meanwhile, represented a 7% decrease, […]
I decided to make history repeat itself in August 2000, when my son, Liam, was 4. I wanted Liam to experience a train ride that I took with my grandfather 50 years ago. My grandfather had taken me on passenger trains from the San Francisco Bay Area to the San Joaquin Valley town of Merced, […]
WASHINGTON — Although the New York-Florida Silver Meteor and Silver Star are set to operate through the end of this week, Amtrak has preemptively cancelled trains in Virginia and the Carolinas as another winter storm is predicted to dump ice and snow on the area. With one of the two Auto Train equipment sets still […]
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — A Detroit-area company aims to use its patented shipping containers to put loads of auto parts into multilevel railcars that otherwise would return empty to assembly plants. Pro-Tech Group, which has designed containers to fit within the confines of auto racks that carry finished vehicles, has successfully completed pilot runs carrying pallets […]
While hard-hit transit agencies are struggling to find money to keep trains running and undertake construction projects, a Canadian entrepreneur believes he has a new solution. Steve Ostrowski says he’s “in the good idea business.” He’s started companies and developed products ranging from snowmobile shock absorbers to deck awnings, and now he wants to reinvent […]
Wednesday afternoon rail news: Pittsburgh-area railroad expands rail shipping options Allegheny Valley Railroad, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Carload Express Inc., received its first rail shipments at its new Glenwood Transload Terminal in Pittsburgh earlier this month. “We are excited to offer this new service to Pittsburgh and look forward to providing continued support for the […]
MONTREAL – Technology and carbon footprint gaps between Class I railroads eventually could be a catalyst for a merger of two of the big North American rail systems, Canadian National CEO JJ Ruest says. Any merger involving two of the big six Class I systems would have to address competition issues through reciprocal switching or […]
Last fall, Editor Jim Wrinn posed a few questions to retired CSX Chairman Hays Watkins. Living in retirement in Virginia, Watkins answered by email. Here’s what he wrote us about his own experiences, Amtrak, precision scheduled railroading, and other issues of the day. The text has been lightly edited for style or clarity. What’s the […]
