Riding Amtrak’s Empire Builder

Modern diesel-powered passenger train arrives at a station

In August 2025, my wife and I planned a trip to the Pacific Northwest to visit family and friends. While we frequently travel by air and rental car, and have taken shorter train trips in the U.S. and Europe, we’ve never done a long-distance rail experience. So, we decided to take Amtrak’s Empire Builder from […]

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G&W to build and operate terminal in Alberta Industrial Heartland

CALGARY, Alberta — Genesee & Wyoming Canada will build and operate a rail terminal that will serve a new Gasia Energy Corp. complex in the Alberta Industrial Heartland northeast of Edmonton. G&W announced today that a new subsidiary, Alberta Heartland Railway, has entered into various agreements with Gasia, including the long-term lease of more than […]

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Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern say rival alliances bolster their merger case

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. — Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena and Norfolk Southern CEO Mark George say the interline partnerships that BNSF, CSX, and Canadian National have announced recently are proof that the proposed UP-NS merger will boost railroad competition. “Just the mere idea of having a transcontinental railroad has already enhanced competition … And I […]

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TSB investigating new CPKC derailment in British Columbia

CPKC logo

JAFFRAY, British Columbia — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will investigate a CPKC derailment that occurred Tuesday (Sept. 9, 2025). near the community of Jaffray, the agency has announced. TSB investigators will gather information at the scene and assess the occurrence, the second in the area in about a week. The Canadian Press reports […]

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New container terminal planned for Port of Montreal

Aerial-view illustration of container terminal at port

MONTREAL — The Montreal Port Authority and the Canadian arm of Dubai’s DP World announced that they have entered into a Joint Development Agreement to develop a new container terminal. The new facility will add 1.15 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs, the standard measure of container volume) to the port’s annual handling capacity. It is […]

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TSB to investigate CPKC derailment in British Columbia

Logo of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada

ELKO, British Columbia — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is dispatching investigators to the site of a CPKC derailment on Tuesday night, Sept. 2, 2025, the agency announced. The TSB’s brief announcement said a team of investigators “will gather information and assess the occurrence.” The CBC reports the derailment occurred about 8 p.m. Tuesday […]

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Three days that shifted the transcon merger chessboard: Analysis

Train crossing bridge over canal

What a week this was for unexpected twists and turns in the Class I railroad merger landscape. First, on Monday Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett said the company would not bid on CSX or Norfolk Southern, which had been viewed as potential merger partners for the Berkshire-owned BNSF Railway. A BNSF-CSX combination, in particular, had […]

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CPKC: Railroads should focus on interline partnerships, not mergers

CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City said today that Class I railroad mergers are not necessary and that it isn’t interested in participating in an immediate round of consolidation. “We believe that a transcontinental merger would trigger permanent restructuring of the industry and result in a disproportionately large railway whose size and scope would […]

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Amtrak honors CPKC for host-railroad performance

Two passenger trains meeting on straight track

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Amtrak has recognized CPKC as its top host railroad in 2024, the ninth straight year the company or predecessor Canadian Pacific has topped the annual host railroad report card. CPKC was the only railroad to receive an “A” grade on the 2024 report card, although the other five Class I rairloads […]

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CPKC oil train derails in Wisconsin (updated)

Aerial view of derailed freight train

LOWELL, Wis. — Approximately 30 cars of a CPKC unit train of crude oil derailed today (Friday, Aug. 15, 2025) near the town of Lowell, with some oil believed to be leaking from the derailed tank cars, according to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office. The derailment has led to service disruptions for Amtrak’s Empire Builder […]

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Americold cold storage facility opens at CPKC’s Kansas City intermodal terminal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Americold today opened its $120 million cold storage Import-Export Hub at the Canadian Pacific Kansas City intermodal terminal in Kansas City, Mo., clearing the way for higher volume single-line, cross-border temperature controlled intermodal service linking the U.S. and Mexico. “This is more than infrastructure — it’s a fully integrated solution that […]

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Flooding closes CPKC main line in Wisconsin (updated)

WAUWATOSA, Wis. — CPKC’s main line across Wisconsin has reopened after being closed Satuday night by torrential rains, disrupting freight and Amtrak operations. Locations near Milwaukee reported as much as 14.5 inches of rain between Saturday evening and 2 p.m. on Sunday, according to WISN-TV. Wauwatosa, Wis., just west of Milwaukee, reported 7.15 inches; there, […]

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