OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has paused its use of new embargoes to limit congestion. The move, announced today (Friday, Dec. 16), comes after two days of Surface Transportation Board hearings where shippers, rail labor, and regulators were critical of the railroad’s increasing reliance on embargoes since 2018, the year it adopted a Precision Scheduled […]
The big six Class I railroads are not of one mind regarding taking conductors out of the locomotive cab and redeploying them to pickup trucks. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern told the Federal Railroad Administration this week that they are negotiating with unions about testing the concept, which would involve having conductors assist trains in […]
MONTREAL — A Quebec judge has found that Canadian Pacific is not liable in the 2013 runaway-train disaster that killed 47 people in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. The Canadian Press reports that Justice Martin Bureau ruled Wednesday that the actions of which Canadian Pacific was accused were not the “direct, immediate and logical cause” of the July […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has received the go-ahead to buy 24 acres of land at Boston’s Widett Circle for a commuter rail layover facility, which would ease capacity issues at existing yards and at nearby South Station. The Boston Herald reports the MBTA Board of Directors approved the purchase Thursday, allowing the […]
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada on Thursday announced creation of a new wholly owned subsidiary, VIA HFR, to manage development of the High Frequency Rail project for service between Toronto and Quebec City, and to act as a dedicated project office. VIA has appointed the three founding members of the VIA HFR board: Robert Prichard, who […]
OTTAWA — Canada’s Transport Minister, Omar Alghabra, on Thursday announced a new program to fund efforts to involve Indigenous and local communities in rail safety initiatives. The Program to Enhance Rail Safety Engagement will receive up to C$1.6 million in funding, and is now accepting proposals for the program through Feb. 16, 2023. It seeks […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has soaked up all the complaints leveled at its soaring use of embargoes and will evaluate customer suggestions before coming back to the Surface Transportation Board with steps it may take to ease the burden on shippers. “First and foremost, I do want to assure the board that we have listened. […]
WASHINGTON — Class I railroads, short lines, and rail labor staked out familiar positions during the Federal Railroad Administration’s public hearing on its proposed two-person crew rule on Wednesday. The Association of American Railroads said there’s no safety data to back a rule that would require two people to be in the cab of a […]
NORTH BAY, Ontario — The Ontario government announced today it will purchase three new sets of passenger train equipment from Siemens as part of its plan to reinstate service in the northeastern part of the province. “This is a significant step forward in bringing back the rail service that northerners deserve,” said Stan Cho, the […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak should take steps to better address distribution, tracking, and retrival of keys which control access to critical and sensitive infrastructure, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General said in a report issued Wednesday. Citing the sensitive nature of the material, the highly redacted report offers few specifics on the types of locations that […]
NEWARK, N.J. — The NJ Transit board of Directors on Wednesday approved a $34.85 million contract for overhauls of the diesel engines in its fleet of ALP45 dual-power locomotives, which the agency says is needed for the locomotives to maintain their EPA Tier III emission standards. “Keeping our trains in a state of good repair […]
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission has approved $26 million in state funding for 24 freight rail infrastructure projects — receiving amounts ranging from $119,000 to $3 million — under the Department of Transportation’s Rail Transportation Assistance Program and Rail Freight Assistance Program. “These investments in Pennsylvania’s rail system create jobs, support efficient […]
