In a continued effort to improve our coverage, we’re introducing a weekly feature for TrainsPRO. It will be a weekly recap, highlighting our most popular stories of the week, and also occasionally shining a spotlight on stories that you might have missed, but that our editorial team believes might develop into the next big story […]
WASHINGTON — A proposed new, 6-mile Union Pacific branchline in the Phoenix area would have no significant environmental impacts so long as mitigation recommendations are followed, the Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis said today. As a result, the project — dubbed PIRATE for Pecos Industrial Rail Access Train Extension — will not require […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX welcomed more than 130 short line partners to its annual Short Line Conference, held Feb. 22–24, continuing a 35-year tradition. CSX says the event provided short line leaders with direct access to the Class I railroad’s executives and experts from across the company. “This conference is about alignment, growing together, performing […]
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen reached a tentative agreement on a five-year contract with the Indiana Rail Road earlier this month, the union has announced. The agreement, which would be retroactive to July 1, 2024, would include annual pay raises each year through July 1, 2029, as well as a […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will seek public comment as it develops an updated strategy for regional rail service, the agency announced on Thursday (Feb. 26). The MBTA’s Rail Modernization Plan will aim to identify near-term investments and long-term needs to improve frequency, reliability, and accessibility while pursuing decarbonization strategies. MBTA General Manager […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has weighed in on the Surface Transportation Board’s proposal to revise its rules regarding reciprocal switching, saying such agreements would serve national defense interests. The STB in January announced plans to repeal regulations that it says have prevented captive carload and bulk shippers from gaining access to a second railroad […]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A bill introduced in the Illinois legislature would establish “aspirational service frequencies” of every four hours or less on 18 regional or long-distance passenger routes radiating from Chicago. HB4279, the Passenger Rail Planning Act, was introduced in January by state Reps. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) and Kam Buckner (D-Chicago). It does not include […]
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — CSX has reduced cargo theft in the Memphis area by more than 80% from a year ago through a task force targeting the issue as well as operational changes, the railroad says. Following a pandemic-era increase in criminal activity, the task force was formed in 2024 to address concerns for customer shipments, […]
Wabtec and Progress Rail said today that they have reached a settlement in the antitrust case that Progress Rail brought against Wabtec in 2023. In the suit, Progress Rail argued that its larger rival engaged in anticompetitive behavior and should have to divest its acquisition of GE Transportation. The 2019 GE acquisition, Progress Rail said […]
WASHINGTON — There were plenty of signposts warning that building Superliner replacements would be a tall order. The decision to throw in the towel on that procurement [see “Amtrak ends plans for new bi-level cars,” Trains.com, Feb. 26, 2026] could have been made years earlier if candid discussions had taken place with potential manufacturers before […]
COLUMBUS, Ga. — A Georgia city’s lawsuit claiming ownership of most of a Norfolk Southern rail yard landed in federal court on Wednesday (Feb. 25), where a judge will now determine if that is the proper venue for the dispute. Neither the railroad nor the City of Columbus believe it is. WRBL-TV reports Judge Clay […]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Legislation designed to provide tax incentives to keep Union Pacific’s headquarters in Omaha faced no opposition during a hearing in the Nebraska Legislature on Wednesday, Feb. 25. While Legislative Bill 1165 does not mention UP, its sponsor, state Sen. Brad von Gillern (R-Elkhorn), told the Revenue Committee hearing that it’s no secret […]
