WASHINGTON — Short line holding company Regional Rail is acquiring the Minnesota Commercial Railway, which operates 86 miles of trackage around the Twin Cities. “The transaction will promote Regional Rail’s strategic and growth objectives, and help sustain MNNR’s efficiency, financial strength, and ability to meet the needs of shippers,” Regional Rail said in a regulatory […]
WASHINGTON — In a companion move to earlier House legislation, two U.S. Senators have introduced a bill to update a key tax credit for short line infrastructure investment. Like the House version, the Senate bill — S.1532, introduced on Wednesday, April 30 — has bipartisan sponsorship. In this case, it comes from Sens. Mike Crapo […]
When we moved to our new office in Brookfield, Wis., one of my favorite aspects of this new space was the workshop area. Not only do we have plenty of space for modeling and layout building, but we have just enough space for the Winston-Salem Southbound layout to sit next to our workbenches. One day […]
Add carbon capture to the list of potential ways railroads could reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from their fleets of diesel-electric locomotives. Remora, a Michigan-based startup company, is developing a tender-based system that can capture carbon dioxide from locomotive exhaust, liquify the gas, and store it on board. The liquified carbon dioxide would be […]
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 […]
Rail preservation often comes with challenges, and the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation (ORHF) is no exception. Yet despite challenging times, the organization continues to find times for celebration — especially with the continued success of the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland and the iconic locomotives it protects. The foundation’s story began in the 1990s […]
MOUNT VERNON, Ind. — The Mount Vernon Railroad, a partnership between OmniTRAX and the Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon, marked its grand opening on Tuesday with ceremonies including a ribbon cutting and a visit by local elementary school students to see the two locomotives they named in a context. OmniTRAX will serve as switching operator for the […]
The rumble of Canadian Pacific’s 4-6-4 Empress No. 2816 and Union Pacific’s 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4014 echoed across thousands of miles in 2024. What made these journeys truly remarkable and deserving a brighter spotlight? Both locomotives were equipped with fully compliant, standalone Positive Train Control (PTC) systems. This means they can independently navigate their […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down CSX Transportation’s effort to revive an antitrust lawsuit against Norfolk Southern over access at the port of Norfolk, Va. Reuters reports that the court on Monday (April 21) announced it would decline to hear the case, dismissed last August by a lower court. The 4th U.S. […]
DENVER — The Hall of Fame induction of Iowa Interstate Railroad Chairman Henry Posner III highlighted the railroad’s week at the recent American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association conference in Denver, which also saw Iowa Interstate recognized with two major awards. Posner was inducted into the Short Line Railroad Industry Hall of Fame, along […]
