New British government keeps spending on high speed rail, lets rail reforms slip

Construction site with rail line in distance

The British government, now with its third Prime Minister in 12 weeks, has confirmed it will continue to fund several major rail (and road) investment programs, as well as new nuclear power plants. Opponents of both sets of projects had hoped the high price tag might tempt the government to make immediate spending cuts. New […]

Read More…

Regulators order Union Pacific to explain increased use of embargoes (updated)

Train with yellow locomotives in flat area

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators have ordered Union Pacific executives to appear at two days of hearings next month regarding the railroad’s increased use of embargoes, which have skyrocketed from 27 in 2017 to 886 as of October this year. “The Board has been closely monitoring UP’s recent use of embargoes and has observed a disturbing […]

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 Magazine, Kalmbach set for extended Thanksgiving break

Trains Magazine logo

WAUKESHA, Wis. — The offices of Trains Magazine, Trains.com, and other Kalmbach Media publications will be closing for the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of the work day today (Tuesday, Nov. 22) to allow staff members more time to enjoy the holiday with family and friends. Expect posts on Trains News Wire to be limited […]

Read More…

Fort Wayne historical society adds CP dome-lounge-observation

Stainless steel dome-lounge-observation

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society has acquired a Canadian Pacific Park-series dome-lounge-observation car built in 1954 for use in excursion service. While plans are for the car to undergo an extensive restoration, it will initially enter service as part of the society’s Indiana Rail Experience program on the Indiana Northeastern […]

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…

Montana Rail Link seeks regulatory permission to terminate lease with BNSF Railway

Blue and white locomotives on train in mountains covered with snow under blue skies

WASHINGTON — Montana Rail Link has moved one step closer to closing up shop and turning over its operations to BNSF Railway. MRL on Nov. 18 asked federal regulators for permission to discontinue service over 656.47 miles of track in Montana and Idaho as part of the early termination of its lease with BNSF, according […]

Read More…

Conductors reject contract agreement, while engineers ratify deal with Class I railroads

Men holding picket signs

Engineers and conductors have rendered a split decision in their respective union votes over the tentative agreements reached with the U.S. Class I railroads, the unions said this morning. By the slimmest of margins, conductors represented by the SMART-TD union rejected the deal, fueling the prospects of a nationwide strike that could begin as soon […]

Read More…

Washington, Iowa, accepts CP offer for funds to address merger

Canadian Pacific Railway beaver logo

WASHINGTON, Iowa — The city of Washington has become the latest to accept an offer from Canadian Pacific for funds to address impacts of its potential merger with Kansas City Southern, approving a deal worth at least $255,000 at its most recent city council meeting The Southeast Iowa Union reported today (Monday, Nov. 21) that […]

Read More…

Canadian legislation includes new rail security mandates

Transport Canada logo

OTTAWA — The Canadian government would gain new abilities to require railroads to create security management systems, and to grant or cancel transportation security clearances, under a proposed set of legislative amendments introduced last week by Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra. Those authorities and others are part of the Strengthening the Port System and Railway […]

Read More…

GAO report finds FRA’s close-call program is underused, with reporting of results lacking

Diagram showing process involved in FRA Confidential Close Call Reporting System

WASHINGTON — Few railroads participate in a voluntary Federal Railroad Administration program to report situations that could have resulted in serious accidents, and those that do find notable flaws in the program, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The report summary notes that as of August 2022, only 23 of the […]

Read More…

Wabtec to acquire Brazilian maintenance equipment firm Super Metal

Rail-mounted excavator

PITTSBURGH — Wabtec has reached agreement to acquire Super Metal, a leading Brazilian supplier of automated vehicles and other maintenance-of-way equipment. Wabtec describes the deal as complementing its 2021 acquisition of U.S. maintenance equipment manufacturer Nordco [see “Wabtec to acquire …,” Trains News Wire, March 23, 2021] and accelerating its strategy of expansion into international […]

Read More…