Gulf Coast service to begin sometime in 2023, Amtrak says

Amtrak logo.

MOBILE, Ala. — Amtrak expects to begin operating passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., sometime in 2023, but virtually all other details of the operation remain undisclosed after a meeting of the Southern Rail Commission, the Al.com news site reports. The commission held its quarterly meeting Friday in Mobile. The news site notes […]

Read More…

Wall Street analysts welcome Norfolk Southern’s service and growth plan

ATLANTA — The strategy shift that Norfolk Southern announced yesterday — focusing on providing consistent service and volume growth rather than on costs and the operating ratio — received a generally positive reception from Wall Street analysts. But they also said that to win over skeptical investors NS will have to prove that it can […]

Read More…

Norfolk Southern says reliable, resilient service will lead to long-term volume growth

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern today (Tuesday, Dec. 6) rolled out a new strategy to provide the kind of reliable and resilient service that over the long term will enable the railroad to grow by luring freight off the highway. NS will balance service, productivity, and growth, CEO Alan Shaw said at the railroad’s investor day. […]

Read More…

Big four U.S. railroads report progress on service recovery goals (corrected)

Train with orange locomotives rounds curve

WASHINGTON – The big four U.S. Class I railroads have told federal regulators that their service is at or near pre-pandemic levels thanks to improved train crew staffing levels. BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific each pointed to improvements in their key operating metrics in updated reports filed on Friday with the […]

Read More…

No injuries in NS derailment on landmark Rockville bridge

Derailed railroad car on roadway in night photo

MARYSVILLE, Pa. — Six cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed on the landmark Rockville bridge crossing the Susquehanna River early this morning (Friday, Dec. 2), sending at least one railcar onto a roadway below the bridge. It was one of at least two NS derailments early today. The other, near Hanover, W.Va., involved five […]

Read More…

Aberdeen Carolina & Western to acquire leased trackage from Norfolk Southern

WASHINGTON — Independent North Carolina short line Aberdeen Carolina & Western will acquire the 104 miles of track it has leased from Norfolk Southern since 1989. The Piedmont Subdivision runs from milepost 282.63 in Gulf, N.C., to milepost 386.91 in Charlotte. The deal, outlined in a regulatory filing with the Surface Transportation Board, is expected […]

Read More…

CSX seeks FRA approval to use Trip Optimizer’s automatic start and stop feature

Locomotive with mix of freight cars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation is awaiting regulatory approval to become the first railroad to use Trip Optimizer’s Zero-to-Zero function, which allows the advanced cruise control system to automatically start and stop freight trains. The goal, CSX says, is to save fuel as part of the railroad’s effort to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by […]

Read More…

The Lionel Legacy ES44AC is back

Lionel Legacy ES44AC on layout

The Lionel Legacy ES44AC has returned quickly the train-maker’s catalog with new road names. It seems that when tooling sells well, we’ll certainly see it again sooner rather than later. Judging by the model’s re-issue for 2022 after being last offered 2019, it can be assumed that they are popular with collectors of modern motive […]

Read More…

Amtrak, freight railroads say they have a deal on Gulf Coast service (updated)

Passenger train with theater car at rear stopped at station

WASHINGTON — The parties involved in the long-running dispute over Amtrak’s effort to launch Gulf Coast passenger service say they have reached an agreement, but at least initially are offering no details on the nature of that deal In a joint statement Tuesday, Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority say […]

Read More…

Trains Trackside Trailer

Follow Trains.com videographer Kevin Gilliam as he explores U.S. railroading action from a trackside perspective. And when the opportunity arises, you’ll also find other notable contributors capturing footage of contemporary railroad operations – everything from steam-powered tourist train to Class I heavy haulers to Amtrak Northeast Corridor high speed Acela sets. Of course, you’ll never know […]

Read More…

Norfolk Southern to buy CNO&TP line from city of Cincinnati for $1.6 billion

Map of rail line from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Chattanooga, Tenn.

CINCINNATI — Norfolk Southern has agreed to purchase the assets of the Cincinnati Southern Railway, the municipally owned railroad that forms the 336-mile Chattanooga-Cincinnati backbone of NS’s key corridor linking Chicago with Atlanta and the Southeast. Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, the municipal railway board, and NS today announced the proposed sale of the Cincinnati Southern […]

Read More…

Norfolk Southern offers to buy Cincinnati-owned route to Chattanooga

Map of rail line from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Chattanooga, Tenn.

CINCINNATI — Norfolk Southern has offered to buy the Cincinnati Southern Railway, the route owned by the city of Cincinnati that it currently leases, for more than $1.6 billion. A meeting to consider the sale will be held Monday, Nov. 21, according to the Cincinnati Southern website. The meeting, set for 1 p.m. EST in […]

Read More…