Overall volume at the big six Class I railroads declined an average of 6% during the third quarter, as coal continued to plummet and carload struggled to recover compared to pre-pandemic levels. Intermodal, however, returned to positive territory in the third quarter, notching 1% growth, on average, at the big systems, according to a review […]
CHICAGO — Metra has sued Union Pacific for breach of contract over its fare collection policies on the three Metra lines operated by UP, saying an “arbitrary and capricious” refusal to deploy conductors is severely damaging Metra’s bottom line, reputation, and customer experience. In a response Wednesday afternoon, Union Pacific said it is “is unwilling […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail carload traffic remains below 2019 levels for the week ending Oct. 10, although the gap appears to be decreasing. Strong intermodal traffic again created an overall increase over the same week ago, according to statistics released by the Association of American Railroads. Carload traffic was down 5.2% compared to 2019 — […]
Tuesday morning rail news: Norfolk, Va., port receives $20 million for rail expansion project The Virginia Port Authority will receive $20.2 million in Port Infrastructure Development funding from the U.S.Department of Transportation to complete rail expansion at its Norfolk International Terminals. The Suffolk News Herald reports the money will support building two new four-track sections for its […]
Tuesday morning rail transit news: New York MTA faces massive debt without additional aid New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority could see its total debt reach $50 billion if no further federal aid is forthcoming and it has to borrow money to address the deficit created by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to New York state […]
Tuesday midday rail news: Preservation group receives donation of 1917 N&W business car The Norfolk & Western Business Car 300 Preservation Society has accepted the donation of Business Car No. 300, a 1917 Pullman-built car. In an announcement on the group’s Facebook page, Bryan Lalevee, president of the 501c3 non-profit organization, said, “After three years of […]
Three Canadian National locomotives have been repainted into heritage paint schemes, and more are reportedly on the way. Photographs circulating on the internet show locomotives painted in Grand Trunk blue and red; the red, white, and blue BC Rail paint scheme; and the black Illinois Central scheme known to railfans as the “death star” design. […]
Monday midday rail news: While overall crime drops, New York subway sees increase in violent crime While overall crime has dropped significantly on New York’s subway system with the loss of ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic, violent crime is rising. The New York Times reports overall subway crime decreased by 40% between January and the end of […]
Still more Monday morning rail news: FBI investigation continues, 25 years after ‘Sunset Limited’ derailment Twenty-five years after a fatal derailment of the Sunset Limited in Arizona, the investigation continues and a reward remains available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those response. An article posted on the FBI website on Friday, the 25th […]
Monday morning rail news: CSX train derailed by washout; chemical fire spurs evacuation Residents in a portion of Lilburn, Ga., were evacuated early Sunday morning after 38 cars of a CSX train derailed in the community 10 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta, leading to a chemical fire. Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services reports a crew member […]
Monday morning transit and commuter rail news: Investigation underway into Friday separation of DC Metro train The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission is investigating a Friday incident in which cars of a DC Metro Red Line train separated while the train was in motion. More than 100 passengers were stranded on a DC Metro Red Line […]
LONDON — As widely expected, the British government has announced the end of the passenger franchise system introduced as the means of privatizing the rail industry in 1996 and will introduce a new concession system to take its place. U.K. Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps told the media last month, “The model of privatization adopted 25 […]
