CSX parts ways with chief operating officer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jamie Boychuk, CSX Transportation’s executive vice president of operations, is leaving the railroad, the company announced this morning. In a statement, CEO Joe Hinrichs thanked Boychuk for his role in implementing scheduled railroading and cited CSX’s depth of operational experience that will ensure operational continuity while the company seeks a successor. No […]

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Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority to host annual conference Aug. 9

Logo of Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

BUTTE, Mont. — Federal railroad Administration Administrator Amit Bose and Surface Transportation Board Vice Chair Karen Hedlund are among scheduled speakers at the third annual conference of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, set for Wednesday, Aug. 9, at the Hotel Finlen in Butte. The conference will bring together passenger advocates, government officials, railroad representatives, […]

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Canadian National releases 2023-24 grain plan

Cover of CN 2023-24 grain plan

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway this week released its 2023-24 Grain Plan, outlining its initiatives for handling Canada’s upcoming grain harvest. Efforts to handle grain traffic include deliver of another 750 new grain hoppers in 2024 and the recently announced expansion of the railroad’s locomotive modernization program [see “CN orders 60 more modernized diesels …,” […]

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Missouri DOT unveils plans to improve grade crossings along state’s passenger routes

Aerial view of derailed train with cars on their sides

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The grade crossing near Mendon, Mo., that was the site of the fatal 2022 collision and derailment involving Amtrak’s Southwest Chief is among 52 included in plans for upgrades, closures, or other changes released Thursday by the Missouri Department of Transportation. The Kansas City Star reports the plan, with an estimated […]

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Chicago Hub project vies for big chunk of federal grant money

CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker led an entourage of local and national political firepower Thursday in touting Amtrak’s application for federal funding for the Chicago Hub project, a more than $1.1 billion plan to improve Chicago Union Station and routes into the city. The request to the Federal Railroad Administration for an $872.8 million Federal-State […]

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Six months after East Palestine wreck, NS reiterates long-term commitment to Ohio town and safety improvements

ATLANTA – Six months after the disastrous hazardous materials derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has penned a letter to area residents outlining the railroad’s ongoing commitment to the community and to improving its safety culture. “We promised to make things right for you and your neighbors, and we’ve made a […]

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Norfolk Southern claims CSX violations of Pan Am Railways agreements hurt competition and service in New England

Train at rail yard with tower in background

ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern, in a lawsuit filed this week in Delaware, accuses CSX Transportation of hampering its access to New England by repeatedly violating the operating agreements related to CSX’s 2022 acquisition of regional Pan Am Railways. The agreements became conditions for the Surface Transportation Board’s approval of the June 1 Pan Am acquisition. […]

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CPKC asks regulators to force Union Pacific to honor trackage rights agreement covering grain shipments to Houston and Galveston

red, yellow and other colors on a locomotive

WASHINGTON — Canadian Pacific Kansas City has asked federal regulators to prevent Union Pacific from blocking the movement of its grain trains to the ports of Houston and Galveston via trackage rights on UP via Beaumont, Texas. The Interstate Commerce Commission granted Kansas City Southern “South End” rights over UP as part of its approval […]

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MTA chooses consultant for Interborough Express environmental review

Illustration of light rail station

NEW YORK — Consultant WSP USA will perform the environmental review for the Interborough Express, the proposed 14-mile light rail line in Brooklyn and Queens which will use the right-of-way of Long Island Rail Road’s Bay Ridge Branch for a route connecting 17 subway lines and LIRR commuter rail service. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority also […]

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Regional Rail acquires North Carolina’s Clinton Terminal Railroad

Green and white end-cab switcher with one car and caboose

CLINTON, N.C. — Short line owner and operator Regional Rail has acquired the Clinton Terminal Railroad, a 3.5-mile switching railroad in Clinton that interchanges with CSX Transportation. Carolina Coastal Railway, a Regional Rail operation in northeastern North Carolina, will become the new owner and operator of the Clinton Terminal assets, operating the line as its […]

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U.S. rail traffic remains down in June, but shows some positive signs

Weekly table showing U.S. carload traffic by commodity type, plus intermodal totals

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic remained below 2022 levels in July, but statistics from the Association of American Railroads provided mixed messages about traffic trends. Meanwhile, traffic for the week ending July 29 continued the recent trend of lesser declines than had been the case for much of the year, with overall traffic down 2.6% […]

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Maintenance of Way union sues BNSF over reduction of workforce, outsourcing (updated)

Double-stack container train passing maintenance equipment

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division has sued BNSF Railway in federal court, charging that — in reducing its maintenance-of-way workforce while contracting out more work — the railroad has violated its agreements with the union and is therefore in violation of the Railway Labor Act. The BMWED filed the […]

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