Followers of railroading in the Deep South — especially in Louisiana and Mississippi — are mourning the loss of rail historian Louis Saillard, a Louisiana native who died unexpectedly Nov. 13 at age 75. A prolific writer and photographer, Saillard wrote several articles for Trains and Railfan magazines and had numerous picture credits in a […]
NEW YORK — The largest operator of shortline railroads has a clear message about the future of the industry. “It’s time to get off our asses,” declared Michael Miller, chief executive of Genesee & Wyoming, at the annual RailTrends conference last week. While G&W is celebrating its 125th anniversary, Miller said in a presentation to […]
WASHINGTON — The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen is joining forces with rail tech company Hum Industrial Technology Inc. and the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley’s Center for Railway Safety, to research and develop technology to enhance wheel bearing condition monitoring. The project will integrate railcar sensors with wayside infrastructure capable of transmitting wheel […]
BARTONVILLE, Ill. — Two Bartonville men were arrested Monday for allegedly derailing a Union Pacific locomotive, the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office announced. Caleb Finley, 18, and Jimmy Johnson, 20, were arrested for criminal damage to property, criminal trespass to property, reckless conduct, and placing an object on railroad tracks, the Sheriff’s Office said in a […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — Federal regulators this summer questioned whether BNSF Railway would be ready to handle this year’s fall harvest. Today the railway reported that it carried a record level of agricultural traffic last month, with ag volume and velocity both up 7% from last year. “We at BNSF are proud to support the […]
NEW YORK — If there’s a silver lining to the spate of labor disruptions that have affected Canadian railways and ports over the past 15 months, it’s that Ottawa now recognizes there’s a problem. “That’s the first step in fixing it,” Canadian National CEO Tracy Robinson told the RailTrends conference last week. CN executives were […]
ERWIN, Tenn. — Whitewater rafting advocates have filed lawsuits claiming the federal government has unlawfully allowed CSX Transportation to rebuild its former Clinchfield through the Nolichucky River Gorge and that the railroad’s repairs are environmentally disruptive. CSX has been rebuilding 40 miles of its Blue Ridge Subdivision between Erwin, Tenn., and Spruce Pine, N.C., after […]
FORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway has reached a major milestone: The completion of the remaining section of double track on its Southern Transcon in Kansas. “Monday was a big day for BNSF’s Emporia Subdivision! The last 3.5 of approximately 51 miles of new doubletrack were cut over, about halfway across our Southern Transcon route,” […]
LIMA, Peru — A signing ceremony has transferred 19 F40PH-2 locomotives and 90 bilevel gallery cars from Caltrain to the transit authority in Lima, setting the stage for the launch of a new commuter rail operation serving Peru’s capital. The ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 16, was held at Monserrate rail station. It brought together U.S. […]
WASHINGTON — President-elect Trump has chosen former Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy as his nominee for Secretary of Transportation. Duffy, 53, currently serves as a co-host of Fox Business’ The Bottom Line broadcast and is a frequent contributor to the network. He left politics in 2019 to care for his newborn daughter. Duffy served as a […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board has approved the revised congestion tolling plan announced last week by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. In a meeting on Monday, Nov. 18, the board approved a plan that will launch the toll plan for lower Manhattan with a basic peak-hours toll of $9, while raising it […]
WASHINGTON — The Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association, or REMSA, has elected two new members to its board of directors. Elected at the Nov. 6 membership meeting are Bob Coakley, sales director, Ballast Tools Equipment, and Matt Violin, vice president of sales, NARSTCO. They will join the board for two-year terms as of Jan. 1, 2025. […]
