VIA’s ‘Canadian’ restores dome access, will add second round trip in April

Long passenger train crounds curve in mountain valley

MONTREAL — Without fanfare, VIA Rail Canada this week began allowing passengers on the Canadian and other trains to again sit under glass in dome car seats and have access to onboard lounge facilities. Both had been off limits as a result of health restrictions imposed by the carrier and various provinces since March 2020. […]

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Mt. Washington Cog owner’s project would allow stays at top of mountain

Steam locomotive pushing railroad car up steep grade

NORTH CONWAY, N.H. — The owner of the Mount Washington Cog Railway is proposing stationing railcars near the summit of the mountain to serve as overnight accommodations and a restaurant. The Associated Press reports owner Wayne Presby’s project would cost nearly $14 million, and would station 18 cars at an elevation of about 5,800 feet […]

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Investigation begins into Caltrain collision and fire

Train on fire with plume of black smoke

SAN BRUNO, Calif. — National Transportation Safety Board officials say they will be trying to determine why positive train control didn’t prevent the accident as part of their investigation of the March 10 collision and fire involving a Caltrain commuter train. Thirteen people were reported injured after the train struck on-track equipment involved in the […]

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Canadian Pacific trains involved in two derailments

Canadian Pacific Railway beaver logo

Canadian Pacific trains were involved in two derailments on Saturday, one in Saskatchewan and one in Minnesota. An unknown number of cars were involved in the derailment of a train carrying corn near Drinkwater, Sask., but at least 20 cars are visible on their sides or otherwise off the track in a video posted to […]

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Virginia rail official steps down

Woman in dark coat in front of Virginia flag

RICHMOND, Va. — Jennifer Mitchell, who as director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation helped the state reach a landmark deal with CSX Transportation to expand rail passenger service, is stepping down to take a position with the Federal Railroad Administration. The website Virginia Business reports Mitchell will depart on March 18 […]

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Railroads say unions’ request to end mediation is premature

Logo of the National Railway Labor Conference

ARLINGTON, Va. — The organization representing railroads in bargaining with labor over a new national contract is disputing a request by unions to move the process from mediation to arbitration, saying the two sides have not yet reached an impasse. The statement issued Friday by the railroad group, the National Carrier’s Conference Committee, was responding […]

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Hear the Whistle biography book review

Cover of book with man and train

“Hear the Whistle” is Jack Haley’s biography, written by his daughter. It primarily covers his career in the rail industry. His first short line in Iowa and Minnesota focused on the revenue side — marketing and sales — rather than trying to reduce costs by trimming staff and deferring maintenance. The book’s most interesting portion […]

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Delaware, Lackawanna & Western passenger trains

GL140303-1

The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad is Classic Trains’ railroad of the month for March 2022. Please enjoy this photo gallery highlighting DL&W passenger train images from Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. This gallery was first published in August 2019.   Only from Trains.com! […]

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Railroads yet to benefit from East Coast intermodal boom: Analysis

Train of containers on high bridge

NEW YORK — East Coast ports are handling a record number of containers due to ongoing supply chain issues in California and the West, but railroads aren’t seeing this equate to more intermodal volume for a number of reasons. First, rail doesn’t have the same international intermodal market share in the East as it does […]

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NTSB report details fatal 2021 Arizona accident involving Union Pacific track worker

Aerial view of site of rail accident

WASHINGTON — The failure of an operator to stop a tie tamping machine — with the operator admitting he was in a panicked state because the machine did not appear to stop when he expected —  led to the death of a track worker struck by the tamper, the National Transportation Safety Board determined in […]

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State won’t enter dispute over ownership of North Dakota bridge

Steam-powered passenger train on large truss bridge over water

BISMARCK, N.D. — The state of North Dakota will not become involved in a claim that the state owns a BNSF rail bridge slated for replacement, leading the preservation group that made the contention to say it is “shocked” by the decision. The Bismarck Tribune reports the Friends of the Rail Bridge group seeks to […]

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