Action may be required on your Trains.com account in order to continue accessing content. Click here to learn more.
Savannah port sees first traffic at new container terminal; rail capacity project advances The Port of Savannah, Ga., has welcomed the first container ship to call on its Ocean Terminal, partially converted from roll-on/roll-off cargo to handle container traffic. The Savannah Morning News reports the conversion adds 210,000 twenty-foot-equaivalent units, or TEUs — the standard […]
Union ratifies new agreements with VIA Rail Canada Unifor, the union representing more than 1,600 VIA Rail Canada employees, has ratified tentative agreements with the passenger carrier reached in January. The two-year agreements include a 2% wage increase, benefit improvements, and a review of several work rules. “We are delighted by the ratification of the […]
Financier, ag firm exit consortium for Churchill, Manitoba, railway and port Two major corporations have given away their stake in the railway and port serving remote Churchill, Manitoba, but the local group overseeing both say their region will be better served by having full control. The Winnipeg Free Press reports Toronto financing firm Fairfax and […]
‘Azelea Sprinter’ excursion train debuts in Georgia A new Georgia excursion train will debut this weekend with sold-out trips. WALB-TV reports the Azelea Sprinter, operating by CaterParrott Railnet on the Georgia & Florida Railroad, sold out its first three trips in less than two days. The train will depart from Nashville, Ga., and offer three […]
Cleanup of CP derailment will continue into summer, city officials say Cleanup of a Canadian Pacific derailment in Plymouth, Minn., will last into the summer and “cause ongoing disruption and noise for surrounding neighbors,” city officials have said. In a news release, the city said the length of the process is “due to the size […]
Virgin sues Brightline for $251 million over end of ‘Virgin Trains’ name Virgin Enterprises, the corporation headed by Sir Richard Branson, is suing Brightline over the rail operator’s decision to drop the “Virgin Trains” name. The BBC reports Virgin is suing for $251 million, saying Brightline is reneging on a 20-year licensing deal by […]
MOBILE, Ala. — Pending approval from the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak intends to pay for repairs to station platforms to be used by the Gulf Coast service Amtrak plans to launch in 2022. Vice President of Stations and Accessibility Dr. David Handera told members of the Southern Rail Commission, holding their quarterly meeting on Friday, […]
The North Carolina Railway Museum, which lost most of its 2020 season to the COVID-19 pandemic, will begin 2021 operations of the New Hope Valley Railway with a new event later in March. The all-volunteer, non-profit railway, will host “Hop into Spring,” with rides Saturday and Sunday, March 27-27. The event will feature socially distant […]
History of the Seaboard Air Line The Seaboard’s beginnings date to 1832, when the Portsmouth & Roanoke was chartered to build from Portsmouth, Va., to Weldon, N.C. Opened in 1834 the companies’ backers saw great potential to link the North with the South’s agricultural and forest products and with its developing potential for industry. P&R […]
With one councilman calling Amtrak a ‘joy ride for the affluent,’ Mobile, Ala., delays vote on station study Resistance to Amtrak service has resurfaced among some Mobile, Ala., political leaders, with one calling the prospect a “joy ride for the affluent.” AL.com reports the comment from Councilman Joel Daves came during discussion on spending $80,1000 […]
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 […]
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 […]
