UK investment analyst seeks paths to Class I mergers

With only six Class I freight railroads remaining and stringent merger rules set by the Surface Transportation Board’s 2001 framework, the consensus largely held that the window for large-scale transactions was closed. Any potential merger, under these rules, must not only demonstrably enhance competition but also clearly articulate public benefits — typically improved service or […]

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Two former Amtrak diesels donated to Illinois Railway Museum

Restored Amtrak F40 locomotive

UNION, Ill. — The Illinois Railway Museum has added two former Amtrak diesels — an F40PHR and SDP40F — to its collection. Dynamic Rail Preservation, or DynaRail, has donated F40PHR No. 231 and SDP40F No. 644. The latter unit went to BNSF where it was known as SDF40-2 No. 6975. No. 231 is one of […]

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BNSF fails to convince regulators it should be able to serve two UP locations

WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway’s efforts to serve two shippers located on Union Pacific trackage were dealt a setback today when federal regulators said they were not persuaded that BNSF had the right to reach the customers as part of conditions granted during the UP-Southern Pacific merger. The separate decisions from the Surface Transportation Board, however, […]

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Santa Fe No. 2926 to participate in Downtown Albuquerque’s Railroad Days

Steam locomotive operates on the main line with a massive facility building in the background.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Santa Fe No. 2926’s yearly visit to Albuquerque’s downtown Rail Yards — a former ATSF facility with sections redeveloped as a multi-use venue and future home for the 4-8-4 — is scheduled for Sept. 27 and 28, as part of New Mexico Railroad Days.  It will mark the third straight year the […]

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Port of LA agreement seeks to generate more export traffic from California’s Central Valley

Aerial view of collection of large warehouses

LOS ANGELES — The Port of Los Angeles has signed a Memorandum of Agreement to generate more export traffic for the port from California’s Central Valley through an agreement with the city of Shafter and the developer of a logistics hub there. Central to the agreement is the Wonderful Logistics Center, a 3,400-acre development in […]

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BNSF and TCU intermodal employees reach tentative agreement

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU) intermodal group have reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract. The tentative agreement, announced on Wednesday, covers 791 employees. BNSF now has reached ratified or tentative agreements with 10 of 13 unions representing 45% of the railway’s workforce. “We are pleased […]

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Kansas City utility seeks $22 million in damages from BNSF

Coal train approaches with another visible in the distance

WASHINGTON – Evergy is seeking more than $22.2 million in damages from BNSF Railway for what the utility claims is the railroad’s refusal to deliver enough Powder River Basin coal to power plants in Missouri and Kansas in 2022. The Kansas City-based utility argues, in opening evidence filed with the Surface Transportation Board today, that […]

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North Dakota storms blamed for two derailments

CPKC logo

High winds and a tornado are blamed for a pair of derailment in North Dakota on Friday and Saturday. Thirty cars of a CPKC train were derailed on Friday, June 20, about three miles southeast of Enderlin, where a tornado killed three people. The Fargo Forum newspaper reports the storm was so destructive that authorities […]

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CSX delivers military equipment for Army’s 250th Birthday Parade

BNSF and CSX teamed up to haul nearly 100 pieces of military equipment – tanks, armored vehicles, and tactical vehicles – from Fort Cavazos in Texas to Jessup, Md., in support of the Army’s 250th Birthday Parade scheduled for Saturday in Washington, D.C. The 4,611-ton train originated on BNSF and was interchanged with CSX at […]

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Classic Trains Film Archive | Illinois and Ohio Highlights, J. David Ingles Reel 0050

Classic Trains Film Archive | Illinois and Ohio Highlights, J. David Ingles Reel 0050 – Explore the fascinating world of 1960s Midwest railroading with rare footage and historic action across Central Illinois and Ohio. Visit Jacksonville, Ill., to see legendary trains from Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (CB&Q), Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (GM&O), and Norfolk & […]

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BNSF reopens main line in Iowa after derailment

BNSF Railway logo

ARGYLE, Iowa — Service was restored on BNSF’s main line in the Fort Madison area on Wednesday after the Tuesday evening derailment of a train that blocked both tracks of the railroad’s Southern Transcon. KHQA-TV reports the derailment occurred while the train was stopped because of a tornado warning, according to a BNSF representative. No […]

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Predicting the unpredictable for intermodal

Two trains work with container lifts for ships in distance

Intermodal analyst Larry Gross says that normally he’d be able to draw on his 45 years of transportation experience to make predictions about freight volume in the months ahead. “Theoretically, it would mean that I would be bringing some long-term insight to the situation that we find ourselves in today: You know, a sense that, […]

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