SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Landowners at the site of a 2018 derailment near Doon, Iowa, are suing BNSF Railway, seeking damages for cleanup costs and reduced property values from oil spilled in the incident. The Sioux City Journal reports Philip, Kirsti, John, and Helen Kooima of Rock Valley, Iowa, have sued BNSF for negligence over […]
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has halted work on a project on state-owned tracks used by the Housatonic Railroad following a fatal accident last week, pending a safety review of the contractor hired for the track work. The Berkshire Eagle newspaper reports DOT spokeswoman Jacquelyn Goddard said in a written response […]
NEW YORK — A union representing Metro-North Railroad employees has handed out flyers to commuters and placed ads in local newspapers warning of a potential strike as soon as September, the newspaper The Hour reports. Members of two locals of Transportation Workers Union, which represents approximately 600 inspectors, mechanics, and coach cleaners, voted last month […]
SANDPOINT, Idaho — Thanks to an all-day work window on Aug. 6, 2023, the final track segments have been put into place to complete BNSF Railway’s 2-mile double-tracking project at the east end of its busy “Funnel” between Spokane, Wash., and Sandpoint. Completion of the new 4,873-foot bridge across Lake Pend Oreille in November 2022 […]
ORLANDO — Brightline is no longer selling tickets for Sept. 1-14 trips between West Palm Beach and Orlando, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the first day of revenue service will be Sept. 15. Responding to a Trains News Wire inquiry, Brightline issued the following statement late today (Monday, Aug. 7): “We’re working through the final […]
CHICAGO — Access to Chicago Union Station will change beginning this evening (Monday, Aug. 7) as the Chicago Department of Transportation begins an 18-month process to rehabilitate four viaducts on Canal Street between Taylor and Madison streets. As a result, no vehicle access to Union Station between West Adams Street and West Jackson Boulevard, and […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak is considering the use of semi-permanent coupling in its next generation of long-distance trainsets, and as a result will seek regulatory approval to address accessibility requirements through accommodations throughout those trainsets, rather than in individual cars. That proposal is included in a website the passenger operator has launched as it seeks public […]
OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway’s second-quarter earnings slumped 24% as volume and average revenue per car both declined, the railroad’s corporate parent, Berkshire Hathaway, said on Saturday. BNSF’s operating income fell 24%, to $1.6 billion, as revenue declined 11.6%, to $5.7 billion. The railway’s operating ratio increased five points, to 68.2%. Overall volume was down […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A CSX Transportation conductor trainee was killed in the Cumberland, Md., yard early this morning, with the accident prompting the railroad to impose a safety stand down for its 350 conductor trainees. “CSX confirms that an employee was fatally injured in the course of working early this morning in Cumberland, Md.,” the […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The labor dispute at British Columbia ports is over after port workers voted on Friday to accept the tentative deal reached earlier this week. A message posted Friday night on the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada website said that 74.66% of the union’s members had voted to accept the deal. […]
BNSF Railway is now testing Kawasaki’s Locomotive-Mounted Autonomous Track Geometry Measurement System, Kawasaki has announced. The system uses sensors and cameras to provide near-real-time track geometry data for track maintenance planning, Kawasaki says in a press release. Production units of the system have been in use since 2021 and have provided over 500,000 miles of […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific now has paid sick-leave agreements in place with all 13 of its labor unions following SMART-TD’s ratification of its tentative agreement this week. “We are proud to be the second railroad in the industry to reach this milestone,” UP said in a LinkedIn post. Norfolk Southern on June 5 became […]
