Whether they knew it or not, the Budd Co. was rolling out the final miles in its railcar manufacturing business as it headed into the 1970s. But they didn’t go down without a fight as manufacturing of passenger equipment continued for Amtrak and multiple commuter operations (mainly in the Northeast United States). Part of […]
WASHINGTON — What is it about rail operations and health-care fraud? Two train operators with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority were arrested Friday on charges relating to a scheme to submit fraudulent health insurance and short-term disability claims for non-existent ailments, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has announced. Michelle Shropshire, […]
NORTH WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The Metro-North Railroad has unveiled the seventh unit in its heritage locomotive series and the first to be repainted, rather than wrapped. The scheme on MN P32AC-DM 203 replicates the image applied to seven Conrail FL9s in 1980 when New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority funded their rebuild by General Electric […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Citing substantial infrastructure work already completed as evidence the California High Speed Rail Authority is on track to complete an initial operating segment by 2033, CEO Ian Choudri challenged the Federal Railroad Administration’s contention that $4 billion of federal grants should be terminated. Earlier this month, the FRA issued a 314-page report […]
BNSF and CSX teamed up to haul nearly 100 pieces of military equipment – tanks, armored vehicles, and tactical vehicles – from Fort Cavazos in Texas to Jessup, Md., in support of the Army’s 250th Birthday Parade scheduled for Saturday in Washington, D.C. The 4,611-ton train originated on BNSF and was interchanged with CSX at […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific is implementing a technology strategy that focuses on safety, service, and operational excellence, and a customer-focused approach where real-time information is now a standard expectation, the company said in a recent webinar for customers. Kenny Rocker, UP executive vice president of marketing and sales, highlighted the role of application programming […]
LONDON — High speed rail operator Eurostar, facing the prospect of competition from across Europe through the Channel Tunnel, has announced plans for new services of its own. But not soon. The company announced this week that it plans to launch three new routes in “the early 2030s” — London-Frankfurt, London-Geneva, and Amsterdam/Brussels-Geneva — once […]
WASHINGTON — The legal community provided more than 100 ideas for improving Surface Transportation Board processes during a series of recent listening sessions conducted by Vice Chair Michelle Schultz, the regulatory body has announced. The sessions are part of an effort by Chairman Patrick Fuchs to enhance the agency’s efficiency and effectiveness, and involved dozens […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern’s board of directors has unanimously named Richard Anderson, former CEO at Northwest Airlines, Delta Airlines, and Amtrak, as its new independent board chair, effective immediately. The board has also agreed to reduce its size to 12 members. It had been expanded to 14 earlier this year [see “CSX and Norfolk Southern […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX today said it has reached a major milestone in its rebuilding of the hurricane-damaged Blue Ridge Subdivision with the completion of a new bridge over the Nolichucky River at Poplar, N.C. The 375-foot span on the former Clinchfield Railroad was destroyed by floodwaters after Hurricane Helene ravaged the area in September […]
Class I railroad earnings growth will slow and their stock prices will slump if they can’t maintain improved service levels and win back volume lost to trucks, a Wall Street firm warns in a new report. TD Cowen analysts note that rate-driven revenue growth, cost-cutting, and rising profit margins have sustained railroad earnings and stock […]
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – OmniTRAX yesterday began operations on the Santa Maria Valley Railroad, the short line holding company’s 29th rail operation. The operation is a joint venture partnership with Coast Belle Rail Corp., the local owner of the 114-year-old Santa Maria Railroad for the past two decades. “This joint venture brings our companies’ collective […]
