NS gets final approval for double-stack clearance projects in Pittsburgh

Norfolk Southern logo

PITTSBURGH — Norfolk Southern has received final approval for clearance projects that will allow double-track container traffic to move on one of its routes through Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday accepted the final portion of an agreement reached by a mediator in December 2019. That agreement will allow three […]

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CSX, NS call Amtrak request for more Gulf Coast information ‘irrelevant, unhelpful’

CSX logo

WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s continuing effort to gain access to data relating to freight traffic on the route of its proposed Gulf Coast passenger service has drawn strong protest from CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern. In a Tuesday filing with the Surface Transportation Board, the two freight railroads urged the board to reject the passenger operator’s […]

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Oil leak from derailment near Pittsburgh closes river (update)

Map showing area near Allegheny River

HARMAR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — An oil spill from a Norfolk Southern derailment on Thursday has led to the closure of the nearby Allegheny River to boating for the Memorial Day weekend as well as an ongoing road closure. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Thursday afternoon’s derailment in Harmar Township, on the northwestern edge of Pittsburgh, […]

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Norfolk Southern train derails near Pittsburgh

Norfolk Southern logo

HARMAR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Norfolk Southern train derailed after a grade crossing accident with a construction vehicle in a Pittsburgh suburb Thursday afternoon, injuring the driver and both members of the train crew. Seventeen cars derailed, with several going into a tributary of the Allegheny River, WTAE-TV reports, and a railroad bridge was damaged. […]

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CSX, NS again ask for mediation in Gulf Coast case; Amtrak remains opposed

Freight train with blue and yellow engine leaving main line

WASHINGTON — The freight railroads involved in the Surface Transportation Board’s proceeding over Gulf Coast passenger service have again asked that the matter be sent to mediation — and Amtrak is again opposing that request. In a May 19 filing, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority and its its short line […]

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Railroads outline six-month service recovery plans for federal regulators

Train with orange locomotives rounds curve

WASHINGTON — The four largest U.S. Class I railroads have told federal regulators that their conductor training programs and hiring pipelines are full as they try to restore service to normal levels amid widespread crew shortages. The railroads’ service recovery plans, submitted to the Surface Transportation Board on Friday as required, outlined the steps BNSF […]

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Railroads report on-time performance to federal regulators for first time

NS8135Smedley

WASHINGTON – The Class I railroads submitted their first batch of expanded performance metrics to federal regulators this week, including a snapshot of on-time performance data. The board on May 6 ordered the railroads to report the data beginning this week in response to shipper complaints and testimony delivered during two days of hearings last […]

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Oberman: Gulf Coast litigants still need to fill in the blanks

Man speaking from seat in hearing room

WASHINGTON — Host railroads and Amtrak have not presented enough information to allow the Surface Transportation Board to determine whether two daily passenger round trips between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., would “unreasonably” impair freight operations, board chairman Martin Oberman said Thursday. Oberman made the statement as part of a wide-ranging commentary at the conclusion […]

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Virginia study projects costs, ridership of passenger extension to Bristol

Logo of Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Extension of Virginia’s state-supported Amtrak service to the stateline communities of Bristol. Va., and Bristol, Tenn., could cost up to $1.5 billion while attracting up to 15,500 riders annually, according to a new study by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. The Bristol Herald Courier reports the study projects one […]

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NS train derails near Springfield, Ohio

Norfolk Southern logo

MAD RIVER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — No injuries were reported when a Norfolk Southern train derailed Thursday evening southwest of Springfield, Ohio. NS reports preliminary information indicates 20 cars are involved. Crews were on hand as of Thursday night to begin rerailing equipment and clearing the scene, with additional support en route. Firefighters responded to a […]

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U.S. rail traffic dips slightly in first week of May

WASHINGTON – For the week ended May 7, U.S. rail traffic registered 504,927 carloads and intermodal units, a 3.5% decline over the same period in 2021. Figures from the Association of American Railroads show the total number of carloads at 231,737, down 1.9% over the same week in 2021, while intermodal volume was 273,190 containers […]

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