Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern run interline intermodal test train carrying produce from Mexico

Logos for Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern

Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern want to haul produce grown in Mexico to destinations in the Midwest and Canada. The railways ran an interline intermodal train from Laredo to the Midwest this week to test the truck-conversion concept, CP Chief Marketing Officer John Brooks told an investor conference on Tuesday. The train — CP […]

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Siemens leaves Russian market as result of Ukraine war

Two high-speed trainsets in shop building

Multifaceted manufacturing firm Siemens has announced plans to leave Russia after over 170 years. The move is part of the continuing response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine [see “War in Ukraine sees massive rail destruction …,” Trains News Wire, June 1, 2022]. Siemens Chief Executive Officer Roland Busch said in a May press statement: […]

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War in Ukraine sees massive rail destruction, passenger trains reinstated, armored trains

Electric locomotive with cab torn apart

Ukrainian rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) has continued to operate services across the country despite Russian attacks which have damaged both tracks and electrical equipment used to provide traction current. Railways continue be a major part of the war for both Ukraine and Russia. Here’s a look at recent events: UZ faces employee deaths, significant damage […]

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London’s $24 billion ‘Elizabeth Line’ opens under city center

Station sign for new London Elizabeth Line

LONDON — Delayed by construction problems and then the pandemic, London’s new high-tech, east-west rail line, the Elizabeth Line connecting existing routes on both sides of the city, finally opened to passengers today (Tuesday, May 24).   Initially, the brand-new central section from London’s Paddington station in the west to Abbey Wood in the city’s […]

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San Diego Trolley equipment finds new life in Argentina

SAN DIEGO — Metropolitan Transit System is donating up to 39 second-generation light rail vehicles to Mendoza, Argentina, as it makes way for a new order of trolleys. The Siemens SD100 vehicles, which began entering service in 1995, will become part of the Metrotranvia Mendoza light rail fleet. “As MTS modernizes its Trolley fleet, we […]

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Genesee & Wyoming christens new Gulf of Mexico rail ferry

Ship loaded with railcars at dock

MOBILE, Ala. —  With the sound of shattering glass and a big splash of champagne, Genesee & Wyoming short line CG Railway on Wednesday christened one of its new rail ferries that can haul up to 135 freight cars across the Gulf of Mexico. Virginia Reeves, a 34-year G&W employee who works in corporate communications, […]

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Stadler dual-mode locomotives set to begin replacing UK’s EMD-built Class 66s

Illustration of blue and yellow locomotive with pantagraph

LONDON — Locomotive and equipment manufacturer Stadler has won a major order to build new powerful dual-mode — electric and diesel — locomotives for British rail freight company GB Railfreight. The new units will begin the process of replacing an extensive fleet of EMD-built Class 66 (model JT42CWR) locomotives, derived from the SD40 design. The […]

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London Crossrail’s Elizabeth Line set for May 24 opening

New, not-yet-open subway station

LONDON — The underground portion of London’s long-delayed Crossrail project is scheduled to open May 24, agency Transport for London has announced. Initial plans for the route to offer 12 trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Woods Mondays through Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., with continuing work in the off-hours and on […]

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Russia steps up attacks on Ukraine’s rail network, disrupting food exports

Green and red locomotive with a small number of freight cars

As the Russian military adjusts its strategy and goals following the failure of its original invasion of Ukraine that began Feb. 24, it has increased strategic attacks on the network of national rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) in the west of the country, largely through missile strikes. The Ukraine war is the first since World War […]

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RDC’s Posner looks at Ukraine refugee operation, rail aspects of war

Repair work underway on rail bridges

CHICAGO — Ukrainian refugee trains being operated by RDC Deutschland, the German subsidiary of Pittsburgh-based Railroad Development Corp., have stopped running as of April 19. In a presentation that day to Northwestern University’s Sandhouse Rail Group, RDC Chairmain Henry Posner III recounted experiences in operating those trains, as well as observations based on past visits […]

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Polish steam comforts Ukrainian refugees for a day

Polish steam comforts Ukrainian refugees: Group of people waiving in front of a stationary steam locomotive in a rail yard.

Polish steam comforts Ukrainian refugees: On Saturday, April 16, the Hub Division of the NMRA Ukraine Support Fund together with The Wolsztyn Experience Mutual Trust Society and the Wolsztyn Steam Shed Cultural Institute ran a free steam special and picnic for nearly 300 Ukrainian refugees housed in the Wolsztyn, Poland area. The Hub`s Ukraine Support […]

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Missile strike on Ukraine rail station kills 57

blue foreign passenger train

KRAMATORSK, Ukraine – A station in Kramatorsk, packed with refugees waiting for trains to take them westward, was hit by a Russian missile attack on April 8. The death toll updated by the Ukrainian government on April 10 stands at 57 with 109 injured. Pictures from the scene depict abandoned belongings and children’s toys, in […]

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