ST. LOUIS — Former Wabtec CEO Ray Betler has joined the board of directors of Intramotev, the company developing autonomous railcars. Betler, who began his career as a propulsion systems engineer at Westinghouse, rose to become the youngest head of engineering and later president and CEO in the company’s 120-year history. He joined Wabtec in […]
NEW YORK — The Trump administration has lost another round in court over funding for the Hudson Tunnel rail project, with a federal appeals court rejecting the administration’s bid to halt payments. Reuters reports a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, in the suit brought by the states of New […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. carload and intermodal traffic were both up during the week ending March 7, 2026, the Association of American Railroads reports. AAR figures show traffic for the week was 514,996 carloads and intermodal units, an overall increase of 3.5% compared to the same week in 2025. That includes 231,889 carloads, a gain of […]
NEWINGTON, Conn. — Six short line and regional railroads will receive $20 million in grants under Connecticut’s Freight Rail Infrastructure Program, the state Department of Transportation announced on Wednesday, March 11. The grants will be supplemented by nearly $4 million in investment by the railroads. “Investments in freight rail make the supply chain more resilient, […]
WASHINGTON — Thirty-six members of California’s congressional delegation have asked the White House for some $2 billion in transit funding to support the 2028 Olympic and Paralymic Games. “Like you, we collectively want to ensure that we have a safe, secure, efficient, and accessible transportation network in the Los Angeles mega-region for this global sporting […]
OMAHA, Neb. — In “The Tempest,” Shakespeare wrote, “what’s past is prologue,” meaning history sets the context for the present and dictates future events. Except, apparently, when it comes to transcontinental railroads. In an exclusive interview with Firecrown Media news site FreightWaves, Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena fired back at critics of his company’s blockbuster merger […]
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — HD Hyundai Power Transformers USA, a CSX-served facility in Montgomery, on March 6 held groundbreaking for a $200 million plant expansion expected to be completed in mid-2027 and support 600 jobs. The expansion will allow HD-HPT to manufacture larger electrical transformers and increases the company’s total investment in Montgomery to $277 million […]
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — An arbitrator has ordered Canadian National to reinvest in its Transcona Wheel Shop, return work to in-house, and compensate affected workers, the Unifor union said today. The ruling stems from CN’s closure of the wheel shop, traction motor shop, and air brake shop at the yard in Winnipeg during the COVID-19 pandemic […]
NEW YORK — Work has resumed at all Hudson Tunnel Project sites, the Gateway Development Commission said today, but another halt could come in two to three months if the disbursement of federal funds does not continue. Additionally, two major contracts that were supposed to be awarded late in 2025 or early this year remain […]
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte City Council on Monday approved spending $37.9 million for the next stage of the Red Line commuter rail project, which will serve communities north of the city. The unanimous vote will pay for work by HDR Engineering to bring the project design to the 30% stage and prepare the project’s […]
Trains Turntable: Commentary from CPKC CEO Keith Creel Over the last several months, the Class I railroads not named Union Pacific or Norfolk Southern have been accused of opposing the largest, most unnecessary proposed rail merger ever attempted because those railroads are afraid to compete or are selfishly afraid it will hurt their business. Those […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern will continue to modernize its locomotive fleet in a deal announced on Monday with Progress Rail, which will convert 96 of the railroad’s SD70M-2 models to AC-traction SD70ICCs. Deliveries of the Tier 2 locomotives will start in 2027 and run through 2029. “By modernizing existing units, Norfolk Southern is taking a […]
