WASHINGTON — Amtrak is scrapping plans for a new generation of bi-level passenger equipment to replace its aging Superliner fleet, announcing that it will instead move ahead with developing a single-level fleet for use across its system. The company said in a press release that the move reflects “extensive analysis of the challenges associated with […]
BLUE ISLAND, Ill. — OmniTRAX has signed a long-term lease to operate a new multimodal logistics hub in the city of Blue Island, the company announced today (Feb. 26). The 90-acre parcel is just southwest of Chicago, bordering 119th and Division streets within the Blue Island Commercial Center. Operation of the new hub will begin […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have asked the Federal Railroad Administration to waive cab-signal requirements that otherwise would restrict where UP’s 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4014 could operate on its historic eastern swing this summer. In Feb. 10 letters to the FRA, the railroads sought permission to operate the Big Boy in cab-signal […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Reps. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) have introduced the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act, which includes components of the never-passed Railway Safety Act of 2024. Many elements of the bill introduced on Wednesday, Feb. 25, parallel those in the Railway Safety Act of 2026, introduced in the Senate on Tuesday [see […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has issued a Request for Proposals for battery-electric and Tier 4 diesel locomotives as part of its efforts to modernize its equipment fleet and upgrade regional rail service. The RFP, released today (Feb. 25) and available here, is part of a procurement coordinated with the Maryland Transit Administration. […]
TISHOMINGO, Miss. — An unprecedented January ice storm has complicated the efforts of a start-up short line railroad looking to restore freight service in rural northern Mississippi. Jeremy Funderburk, president of the North Mississippi & Alabama Railroad, and his work crew and equipment, have been putting in 10-hour workdays to chew through thousands of downed […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Technology firm Infosys announced it has completed a data modernization program for CSX, consolidating the railroad’s fragmented data systems into a unified cloud-based platform. Infosys says the program is one of the largest deployments of its kind in the field of transportation and logistics. It uses Infosys Topaz, a set of services, […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak and rail transit operations are essentially back to normal today (Wednesday, Feb. 25) after disruptions that began Sunday night because of a blizzard passing through the Northeast. As of 7:15 a.m. CT, the train status feature of Amtrak’s website shows no cancellations or delays for Northeast Corridor trains originating in Boston […]
LONDON — Freight service through the Channel Tunnel, which ended in 2024, is set to resume after the British government announced it would take control of the only intermodal facility in the United Kingdom able to handle freight cars with European dimensions. The government announced today (Wednesday, Feb. 25) that national rail infrastructure company Network […]
CALGARY, Alberta — Incomplete training of a maintenance supervisor played a part in the derailment of a CPKC intermodal train near Brooks, Alberta, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said today in releasing its report on the Feb. 5, 2024, incident. The derailment involved the trailing unit of two locomotives at the front of the […]
OTTAWA — Given the myriad of current issues with VIA Rail Canada performance, it would be reasonable to think that a parliamentary hearing entitled “Improving VIA Rail’s Safety and Customer Service” could lead to a substantial number of passenger rail questions for Canadian Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon. That’s not the way things played out before […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak service remains subject to significant disruptions on the Northeast Corridor, with a large number of cancellations already announced today (Tuesday, Feb. 24). Service between New York and Boston, shut down since mid-morning on Monday, was tentatively scheduled to resume as of 8 a.m. ET, according to the most recent Amtrak customer […]
