MONTREAL— VIA Rail Canada has issued a formal “Request for Qualification” for prospective carbuilders to replace long-distance, regional, and remote-service passenger cars that date from the mid-1950s. This follows a November RFQ for locomotives to power the new single-level equipment. The request issued today (Monday, Dec. 9) follows a commitment earlier this year by the […]
ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Carriers Conference announced today that the Transportation Communications Union and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen have ratified new five-year agreements. “These ratified agreements are a win for employees and the freight rail industry,” said Jeff Rodgers, chairman of the NCCC at its parent, the National Railway Labor Conference. “Employees will […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — Over the weekend BNSF Railway set a new annual on-dock container record at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., when it surpassed 1.5 million lifts for the year. “Last week, we surpassed the previous annual record of 1,480,727 lifts, set back in 2017,” BNSF said on social media […]
A Christmas train adds to the Christmas spirit It’s not often that you hear words like “locomotive” or “uncoupled” in a 3-year-old’s vocabulary, but that’s exactly where my wife and I found ourselves Christmas morning in 2022. Our son Micah had always had a fascination with all trains, so much that we often joked that […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern today named Ann A. Adams as its chief human resources officer, with responsibility for human resources and labor relations. In addition, PC Bryant has been named vice president of human resources. Adams joined Norfolk Southern in 2001 as a Manager in Human Resources. From there, she progressed through roles of increasing […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway and Canadian labor union Unifor have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract, the railroad has announced. CN said no details will be released publicly until the agreement is ratified. The union represents about 3,300 mechanical, clerical, and intermodal employees, CN said; Unifor recently placed the number about […]
MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will open the long-delayed final segment of the Maya Train project on Dec. 15, she said during a press conference last week. Sheinbaum will visit the state of Quintana Roo to open the segment between Palenque and Chetumal. The last portions to be opened were two small segments […]
Rail travel often involves changing trains. I’ve always delighted in the transition from one train to another. These can be great moments to observe the railroad in action, make photos, and perhaps chat with railroaders and fellow passengers. I’ve sometimes planned changes to include a short layover. For many travelers changing trains represents unwanted stress […]
BALTIMORE — The driver of an SUV was injured when the vehicle was hit by falling concrete from an Amtrak bridge today (Sunday, Dec. 8), WBAL-TV reports. First responders were called about 11:28 a.m. about the incident that saw debris fall from a bridge over North Point Road. Police said the driver — the only […]
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A California state legislator is seeking to bar resale of diesel-powered trains for reuse following Caltrain’s sale of equipment for use to launch a commuter rail service in Lima, Peru. The San Jose Mercury News reports that state Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) introduced the bill on Monday. Just a single-sentence […]
Amtrak SDP40F diesel locomotives were derived from the best-selling SD40-2 platform but were far from a success on their own. The SDP40F shared its 72-foot, 4-inch frame with the predecessor passenger unit FP45 from 1967. Internally, however, it was akin to a 3,000 hp SD40-2 with a steam boiler added. That should have been a […]
SPARKS, Nev. — Union Pacific is planning to tear down a 120-year-old machine shop in Sparks, Nev., to the disappointment of preservationists, but will offer residents a chance to retain a piece of the historic building. The city and railroad have announced that UP will make bricks from the structure — older than the city of […]
