CSX, NS say Gulf Coast passenger service would ‘devastate’ freight operations (updated)

CSX logo

WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern say addition of Amtrak trains along the Gulf Coast would cause a “systematic failure” in their ability to provide freight service, based on traffic modeling, and would “devastate first-mile last-mile service to freight customers in the region,” according to a filing with the Surface Transportation Board. But while […]

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CP and KCS project dramatic rise in daily train counts

Map of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern systems with details from merger document

WASHINGTON – Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern say their proposed merger will generate significant traffic growth, with daily train counts on the combined system’s north-south spine projected to more than double within three years. The traffic details were among those included in the railways’ 4,342-page, 1-gigabyte merger application filed with U.S. regulators late Friday. […]

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‘Brightline+’ app to enable door-to-door trip ticketing (updated)

Man in suit behind the wheel of bright yellow car

MIAMI — In what company President Patrick Goddard characterizes as “one of the most significant innovations in multimodal mobility,” Florida passenger rail operator Brightline is offering travelers the ability to arrange travel from their point of origin to their ultimate destination, not just buy a train ticket. The first stage of this door-to-door travel will […]

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Norfolk Southern to donate Southern Railway archives

Logo of Southern Railway, with "Look Ahead — Look South" slogan

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern is donating the archives of predecessor Southern Railway to the Atlanta History Center as NS prepares to mark the opening of its new Atlanta headquarters. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports the archives include hundreds of thousands of pages of correspondence, more than 20,000 photographs, reports, plans, and minute books. The donation […]

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Tri-Rail to restore service to pre-pandemic levels on Oct. 25

Commuter train with blue locomotive and bilevel cars

MIAMI — South Florida commuter rail operator Tri-Rail will restore service to full pre-pandemic levels as of Monday, Oct. 25, operating 25 round trips on weekdays and 15 on weekends. The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority announced the schedule change on Wednesday. WFOR-TV reports Steven Abrams, the authority’s executive director, said, “Tri-Rail has had one […]

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Amtrak asks STB to compel cooperation by CSX in Gulf Coast case

Crowd greets passenger train

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has asked the Surface Transportation to take action on two fronts on its pending request for a ruling enabling it to start passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. The company is requesting that the board order CSX and Norfolk Southern to provide access to their properties to prepare for the […]

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Florida’s Brightline set to restart service Nov. 8

Pasenger train passes tall buildings

MIAMI — Ending a hiatus that began in March 2020 during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brightline is finally restoring its Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Fla., service on Nov. 8. Sixteen weekday round trips and 12 on both weekend days will begin on that date, following essentially the same schedule in effect when […]

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STB sets new schedule for Amtrak Gulf Coast case

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has granted a new extension for the process of addressing Amtrak’s request to require CSX and Norfolk Southern to allow passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. — while cautioning that it will not look favorably on further efforts to delay the process. Amtrak filed the request in […]

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Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum celebrates 60 years

Steam engine pulling passenger train

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—One of the senior organizations in American railway preservation, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, is celebrating its 60th anniversary the weekends of Oct. 16-17 and Oct. 23-24. Plans include rides featuring the museum’s two operational steam engines, as well as steam- and diesel-themed night photo sessions, as the non-profit looks ahead with […]

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New Brightline trainset arrives in South Florida (video)

Aerial view of passenger train pulled by blue freight locomotive

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The first of Brightline’s new trainsets for expansion of service to Orlando has arrived at the passenger operator’s West Palm Beach maintenance facility. A video provided by Brightline shows the trainset — the first of two five new two-locomotive, four-car trains — completing its trip from Sacramento, Calif. Service to […]

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