More Monday morning rail news: CN sets Canadian grain record for seventh straight month Canadian National moved a record amount of Canadian grain for the seventh straight month, transporting 2.43 million metric tons of grain in September. The railroad moved 7.76 million metric tons in the third quarter of 2020. As is the case with […]
Canadian pension fund, rail holding company to acquire five U.S. short lines
WASHINGTON – A Canadian pension fund is teaming with shortline holding company Jaguar Transportation to acquire five shortline railroads totalling more than 450 miles, according to a regulatory filing. The railroads involved in the transaction, which is expected to take effect on Nov. 1, include: ● The 245-mile Cimarron Valley Railroad, which operates in Kansas, […]
Former Trains editor J. David Ingles dies

Longtime Trains and Classic Trains staffer J. David Ingles died Oct. 4 near his home in Waukesha, Wis., after a short illness. He was 79. The son and grandson of railroaders, Ingles was a lifelong rail enthusiast. He grew up in Homewood, Ill., and Dearborn, Mich. After college and a stint as a newspaper reporter in Springfield, Ill., he […]
Digest: Weekend rail service to San Diego suspended for maintenance

Friday morning rail news: Weekend rail service to San Diego suspended for maintenance work Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service between Oceanside, Calif., and San Deiego, and Metrolink commuter train service to Oceanside, will be suspended this weekend for the first of two weekends of maintenance work on the North County Transit District’s rail line in San […]
Digest: CP sets Canadian grain records for third quarter, September

Friday afternoon rail news: CP sets records for Canadian grain movement in third quarter, September Canadian Pacific has reported the latest in a series of records for Canadian grain traffic, setting records of 7.72 million metric tons for the third quarter and 2.8 million metric tons in September. The records continue to reflect the introduction […]
Digest: Amtrak Capitol Corridor adds occupancy tool to website

More Friday morning rail news: Capitol Corridor website now offering occupancy information on trains, connecting buses Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor has added an occupancy information tool on its website to provide passengers awareness of how full a given train may be. The tool, available here, uses recent ridership numbers to indicate vacancy rates on individual trains. […]
Digest: Valley Metro orders Siemens light rail vehicles

Thursday midday rail news: Valley Metro orders 14 new Siemens light rail vehicles Phoenix-area transit agency Valley Metro has ordered 14 S700 light rail vehicles from Siemens Mobility to join 11 of the trainsets already in service. The equipment, to be built in Sacramento, Calif., will help accommodate the needs of an expanding system, and […]
Digest: Engineering organization warns of infrastructure backlog, ‘bleak’ transit outlook

Thursday morning rail news: American Society of Civil Engineers warns of $5 trillion infrastructure funding gap The American Society of Civil Engineers warns that the gap between current spending and the need to maintain the U.S. infrastructure in a state of good repair has reached $5 trillion, measured in 2019 dollars. In preliminary findings for […]
Homewood, Ill., station to get $29 million rebuild
HOMEWOOD, Ill. — Shovels were out Monday, manned for the cameras by masked Amtrak, Metra, and civic officials that helped arrange $29 million of federal and local funding that will enhance the original 1923 Illinois Central Homewood, Ill., facility with features that make it completely accessible to passengers with disabilities. Construction began in July on […]
Biden plans short whistle-stop tour of Ohio, Pennsylvania

Presidential candidate Joe Biden is set to operate a campaign train across Ohio and Pennsylvania and Ohio on Wednesday, following tonight’s first debate with President Donald Trump in Cleveland. After departing Cleveland, Biden’s train is scheduled to stop in Alliance, Ohio, with a tentative time of 11:45 a.m., according to WFMJ-TV. While Biden will make […]
VIA Rail indefinitely postpones restart of Ocean, Canadian

MONTREAL – VIA Rail Canada has postponed resumption of its triweekly Halifax-Montreal Ocean and twice-weekly Toronto-Vancouver, British Columbia, Canadian indefinitely, according to a news release issued last Friday and Trains News Wire reservation center inquiries. This is contrary to the passenger carrier’s addition of trains to its Quebec City-Windsor, Ontario, corridor. Sleeping car service will […]
STB denies Metra request for declaratory order

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has denied Metra’s request for a declaratory order and proceeding in its ongoing dispute with Union Pacific over Chicago area commuter operations. The decision follows a U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruling to keep a UP lawsuit against Metra, noting that the court does […]