WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today released a quarterly status update on railroads’ self-reported progress, as of December 31, 2019, toward fully implementing positive train control (PTC) systems as required by Congress. Based on Fourth Quarter 2019 PTC Progress Reports from the 42 railroads statutorily required to implement the […]
Stockton Terminal & Eastern No. 678 OmniTrax HAMBURG, Pa. – OmniTRAX Inc. and subsidiary Stockton Terminal & Eastern have donated SW1200 locomotive No. 678 to the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg. It is one of just five such units built for the Reading Co. by EMD in 1963. The museum is affiliated with the […]
NJ Transit’s “Princeton Dinky” shuttle arrives in Princeton, N.J., on Aug. 6, 2019. NJ Transit will receive a record subsidy under the budget proposed by Gov. Phil Murphy. TRAINS: David Lassen Thursday morning rail news: — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed 2021 state budget would increase funding for NJ Transit by $132 million to […]
Transport Minister Marc Garneau says Canada’s freight rail system faces “many, many weeks” of delays as a result of protests by and in support of indigenous groups across the country. As of this morning, just one of the blockades that have appeared over the last three weeks is reported to remain in place. In a […]
A Union Pacific coal train heads east through Glen Ellyn, Ill., on Feb. 23, 2020. The railroad’s coal traffic has hit bottom as low natural gas prices lead to shutdowns of coal-fired power plans, according to CEO Lance Fritz. TRAINS: David Lassen MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Union Pacific’s coal traffic — which is down 30% […]
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Feb. 22, 2020. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 482,690 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.6% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending Feb. 22 were […]
Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett runs a BNSF Railway model train as BNSF CEO Carl R. Ice, right, looks on during Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Neb., in 2019. BNSF Railway OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway has improved its profit margins without having to adopt Precision Scheduled Railroading, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett […]
New blockades continued to appear on Canadian rail lines on Tuesday, extending the disruption of rail service which is approaching the start of its fourth week. In the Toronto area, a protest that blocked GO Transit’s Milton line, which runs west of the city, was broken up about 3 a.m. today by police. Three people […]
Residents of Flossmoor, Ill., are unhappy with proposed changes to the Metra Electric schedule. TRAINS: David Lassen More Wednesday morning rail news: — Residents and government officials in the Chicago suburb of Flossmoor, Ill., are balking at proposed changes to the Metra Electric District schedule spurred by positive train control implementation, the Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle reports. […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Siemens Mobility will continue to update Calgary’s current light rail vehicle fleet with 15 more S200 light rail vehicles. These vehicles will replace Siemens’ original U2 vehicles, most of which have been running for almost 40 years. “These U2 cars have been reliable workhorses that have more than exceeded their expected lifetime […]
SCRANTON, Pa. — Steamtown National Historic Site welcomes visitors to experience riding the rails in vintage passenger cars pulled by heritage steam and diesel locomotives. Train rides vary from short shuttles that explore the park’s historic railroad yard to all day trips as far as the Delaware Water Gap. The park is working to bring […]
Wednesday morning rail news: — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has named former Federal Railroad Administrator Sarah Feinberg as the interim president of New York City Transit. Feinberg replaces the well-regarded Andy Byford, who recently resigned. She will oversee a 48,000-person agency responsible for New York’s subways and buses. Feinberg was already serving as an MTA […]
