Virginia governor vetoes two-person crew bill

Seal with woman standing on top of man

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has vetoed the bill that would have required two-person crews for freight trains within the state, the news website Virginia Mercury reports. Youngkin said in a veto message issued March 8 that he took the action because the actions in the bill “appear premature and lack the necessary […]

Read More…

Norfolk Southern, Florida East Coast further expand intermodal service

Map of intermodal services offered by Norfolk Southern and Florida East Coast Railway

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern and Florida East Coast have announced further expansion of their international and domestic interline service, with logistics, marine, and energy company Crowley using the two railroads’ Florida Express service to move textile products to and from Charlotte, N.C., for garment and apparel manufacturing. “We are focused on providing reliable service and […]

Read More…

Charlotte Light Rail

Light rail commuter service has arrived in the state of North Carolina. The Charlotte Area Transit System, or CATS, was formed in 1999, and initiated rail service with the Lynx Blue Line in 2007. This line now stretches 19 miles between the UNC Charlotte campus on the north side of town, and a station near Pineville […]

Read More…

Brightline ceremony marks selection of Stuart, Fla., as station site

Passenger train at grade crossing

STUART, Fla. — Brightline formally announced Stuart, in Martin County, Fla., will be the site of its next station today (Monday, March 4), choosing the site approximately 40 miles north of West Palm Beach from five proposals by public and private landowners. Stuart’s selection had been reported last week after Stuart officials informed city employees […]

Read More…

Coach passengers now can buy meals in Silver Star and Silver Meteor dining cars

Amtrak dining car with one person dining at one table

WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s New York-Miami trains will begin offering “traditional dining” to “a limited number of coach customers” starting today (Monday, March 4), according to spokeswoman Kimberly Woods. The company dropped meal-in-a-bowl “flexible dining” last March on the Silver Star and last June on the Silver Meteor [see “Amtrak returns ‘traditional dining’ …,” Trains News […]

Read More…

Virginia two-person crew bill goes to governor

Seal with woman standing on top of man

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia legislation requiring two-person crews for freight trains in the state has passed the legislature and been sent to Gov. Glenn Youngkin for his signature, the Virginian-Pilot newspaper reports. The bill that passed narrowly passed both houses of the General Assembly — 51-49 in the House of Delegates, and 20-19 in the […]

Read More…

New Orleans Public Belt awards contract for new transload facility

Train with blue diesel locomotive on track with gantry crane for port in background

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad’s board of commissioners has awarded a $2.2 million contract for construction of a new transload facility. The contract was awarded on Tuesday to Cycle Construction Co. LLC for construction of the NOPB Transloading Industrial Park in New Orleans East. The $3 million project will be funded […]

Read More…

Preliminary report: NS engineer was killed when locomotive was hit by rolling railcars

Diagram of accident in rail yard

WASHINGTON — The Norfolk Southern engineer killed in a Jan. 31 incident in Decatur, Ala., suffered fatal injuries when his locomotive was struck by a group of 35 railcars rolling on an adjacent track, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary accident report released today (Wednesday, Feb. 28). The incident occurred about 4:15 […]

Read More…

Stuart, Fla., says it will be site of new Brightline station

High-angle view of long narrow building

STUART, Fla. — Brightline will build a new intermediate station in Stuart, Fla., the TC Palm newspaper reports. Stuart City Manager Mike Mortell informed employees on Monday that the passenger operator had selected Stuart’s downtown site near the Martin County Courthouse. Brightline did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment. At least two other […]

Read More…

Carolina Coastal Railway | A Regional Rail star

Trains.com Field Producer Kevin Gilliam captures the essence of the 180-mile Carolina Coastal Railway Co. (CLNA), which is part of short line holding company Regional Rail, LLC. Watch the railroad at work along the line between Raleigh and the Atlantic Coastline of North Carolina, and then read more about the operation as presented in the […]

Read More…

Seminole Gulf Railway reopens line to Fort Myers, Fla.

Two locomotives lead gondolas across bridge

FORT MYERS, Fla. — More than 500 days after Hurricane Ian devastated Southwest Florida, and the Seminole Gulf Railway, on Sept. 28, 2022, the railroad has restored operations to Fort Myers. On Tuesday, the railroad operated its first test train across the Caloosahatchee River, having completed the rebuilding of four bridges and track structures across […]

Read More…

Mobile disputes suggestion it is responsible for Gulf Coast delays

aerial view of land along railroad tracks near water

MOBILE, Ala. — The city of Mobile has taken umbrage at the idea that it is preventing the launch of Amtrak Gulf Coast service, as was suggested in last week’s Surface Transportation Board hearing on delays in launching that service. The lack of a lease between Amtrak and the city for land needed for a […]

Read More…