Parallel Systems begins testing autonomous car on G&W short line

Parallel Systems and Genesee & Wyoming short line Heart of Georgia Railroad this week began the first phase of testing of Parallel’s autonomous, battery-electric flat car. The initial round of testing of Parallel’s container car is being conducted near Glenwood, Ga., in conjunction with the Federal Railroad Administration. The equipment has already been put through […]

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First new CPKC locomotives hit home rails

CALGARY, Alberta— CPKC took delivery of five new Wabtec ET44AC locomotives over the weekend, the first batch of a 100-unit order. All of the Tier 4 locomotives, which are being built at Wabtec’s assembly plant in Fort Worth, Texas, are scheduled for delivery by the end of the year. CPKC released a video yesterday showing […]

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R.J. Corman chief executive steps down

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — R.J. Corman Railroad Group CEO Ed Quinn is stepping down after nearly nine years at the helm of the short line and railroad services company. Quinn will remain on board during a transition period, the company announced yesterday, noting that it has launched a search for a new chief executive. “We very […]

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Illinois man sentenced to more than four years in prison in Amtrak bribery case

Aerial view of large railroad station next to river

PHILADELPHIA — An Illinois employee of an Indiana masonry firm has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for his role in a federal bribery case over Amtrak’s renovation of its 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Donald Seefeldt, 65, of Wilmette, Ill., was also sentenced to a year of probation, 59 hours of community service, and […]

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CSX rebounds from service problems and sluggish operations

Intermodal train with single engine passes maintenance vehicle next to tracks

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX has fully bounced back from a bout of operational challenges that began with hurricanes last fall and worsened after the Feb. 1 closure of the Howard Street Tunnel in Baltimore, CEO Joe Hinrichs tells Trains. The railroad’s on-time performance in May, measured by trip plan compliance for intermodal and carload shipments, […]

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U.S. weekly rail traffic continues to beat 2024 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. carload traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic continues to run ahead of 2024 levels, even as intermodal traffic experiences a decline tied to recent U.S. tariff moves. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, volume for the week ending May 31, 2025, was 459,884 carloads and intermodal units, a 2.2% increase over the same […]

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Railroad Development Corp. announces new roles for Posner, Asplund

Logo of Rail Development Corp.

PITTSBURGH — Railroad Development Corp. has appointed Ida Posner to chief operating officer, and appointed Nate Asplund, president of its Pop-Up Metro affiliate, to lead the integration of the recently announced joint venture between RDC and the UK’s Transport Design International. Posner joined RDC in 2017 and has served as vice president, strategic planning, since […]

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Report says California high speed project has ‘no viable path’ to on-time completion (updated)

Large concrete bridge

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy this morning released a report proclaiming there is “no viable path” to complete the California High Speed Rail project on time or on budget, setting the stage for the cancellation of $4 billion in federal grants. Given that the original plan called for completion in 2020 at a cost […]

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Predicting the unpredictable for intermodal

Two trains work with container lifts for ships in distance

Intermodal analyst Larry Gross says that normally he’d be able to draw on his 45 years of transportation experience to make predictions about freight volume in the months ahead. “Theoretically, it would mean that I would be bringing some long-term insight to the situation that we find ourselves in today: You know, a sense that, […]

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Cumberland & Knox runs first revenue train on Maine’s Rockland Branch

Train with red locomotive and covered hoppers curves through town

BRUNSWICK, Maine — New short line Cumberland & Knox made its debut last weekend, running its first train over a 56-mile,  state-owned former Maine Central branch that hadn’t seen any freight action at all in eight months. The move saw locomotive LTEX 1555, an ex-Canadian Pacific GP9u, pick up 12 covered hoppers from the CSX […]

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NTSB releases initial report on PATH electrical fire that injured five

Men in safety gear examining area next to rail line

WASHINGTON — A fire that had been extinguished earlier reignited, leading to smoke-related injuries to five Port Authority Trans-Hudson employees, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report on its investigation into a May 8, 2025, incident in a PATH tunnel in Jersey City, N.J. The report was released today (June 3, 2025). […]

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Illinois could still act to avoid Chicago-area transit cuts

Commuter trains pass on three-track line with Willis Tower in distance

CHICAGO — Chicago-area transit agencies will begin planning for massive service cuts in the wake of the legislature’s failure to address the region’s funding shortfall — but there could still be a chance to avoid a 40% reduction in service. Legislators could still pass a bill in a special session or a fall veto session […]

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