OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s legislature has passed a bill to simplify sale of state-owned rail lines, sending the legislation to Gov. Kevin Stitt for his signature. Senate Bill 341 calls for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to seek requests for proposals to purchase railroad assets owned by the state. Interested parties would have 120 days […]
BRUNSWICK, Maine — Maine Switching Services on Monday (April 28) finalized a lease agreement with Maine’s Department of Transportation that will allow freight operations to resume on the 56.6-mile, state-owned former Maine Central branch between Brunswick and Rockland, Me. The operating entity will be known as the Cumberland & Knox Railroad (CKRR), named for the […]
WASHINGTON— Federal regulators will determine whether BNSF Railway can use its trackage rights over Union Pacific to reach a new short line railroad in Utah. The Surface Transportation Board yesterday rejected Union Pacific’s request to dismiss the case regarding the Savage Tooele Railroad. Savage held a groundbreaking ceremony in November for the railroad [see “Groundbreaking […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling for Amtrak to revise its plans for East River Tunnel repairs in light of cuts to Empire Service operations that began on Monday, as well as concerns about the impact on Long Island Rail Road commuters. Also, one of New York’s members of Congress has […]
AUSTIN — As one effort to build a high speed rail line in Texas continues to meet with opposition, another is trying to overturn a law passed to help block the first attempt. Legislators have introduced a bill calling for construction of a high-speed route between Dallas and San Antonio via Austin, as well as […]
SACRAMENTO — California legislation that would limit train lengths and require wayside detectors cleared its first hurdle in the state legislature last week, advancing through the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications. The bill, which advanced by a 12-4 vote on April 21 with one committee member not voting, was introduced in February by […]
On the day of Pope Francis’ funeral in Vatican City — scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. ET — the latest edition of News Wire recommended reading begins with the European website Railtech.com looking at the Pope’s connection to trains — which begins with the fact he was the son of a railway worker. Also […]
LOS ANGELES — A long-discussed direct rail connection to Los Angeles International Airport is not quite here, but it’s getting closer. LA Metro’s LAX Transit Center — which will eventually provide a connection to a people mover serving airport terminals — will open on June 6, the transit agency announced at an April 24 board […]
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin led the list of officials on hand Thursday (April 24, 2025) for groundbreaking on the New River Valley Rail Project, which will allow extension of Amtrak service from Roanoke, Va., to Christiansburg. When that service begins, it will be the first time the New River Valley has had […]
CHICAGO — Manufacturer FreightCar America received orders for 1,250 railcars with a value of approximately $141 million during the first quarter of 2025, the company has reported. The orders represent about 25% of all new railcars in the quarter and about 36% in its addressable market. That represents the company’s largest market share of new […]
Since late last year BNSF Railway and Union Pacific have been busy handling a surge of containers from West Coast ports as U.S. companies pulled forward their imports in order to beat potential tariffs. But now with a trade war under way — and tariffs as high as 145% on goods made in China — […]
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Eddie Hall, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, will retire effective May 1, 2025, the union has announced. Hall, BLET president since Jan. 1, 2023, announced his retirement at an April 23 meeting of the union’s Advisory Board in New Orleans. His decision was announced today (April 24). Mark […]
