OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific will purchase 20 battery-electric locomotives to test in yard service, the largest commitment to date for the technology by any rail operator. In separate announcements Friday, the railroad announced purchase of 10 Wabtec FLXdrive locomotives and 10 of Progress Rail’s EMD Joule locomotives. The railroad said the cost of the […]
Can’t get your new LionChief Universal Remote to pair with a locomotive? If the batteries are good, the device’s firmware might be the problem – it could be old and incompatible with your equipment, or just have bugs. Upgrading it might help establish a connection and get your trains rolling. The hand-held units […]
Canadian National shocked the railroad world this week with the selection of Tracy Robinson, a Canadian energy executive and former Canadian Pacific official, as its next CEO. The surprise came mostly from the fact that she is not a marquee name in railroad circles and has been out of the industry for eight years. But […]
MONTREAL — Commuter rail operator Exo has ordered 10 Siemens Charger locomotives to replace its older locomotives with more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly motive power. “We are excited to partner with Exo and look forward to working with them to modernize their fleet with the latest in sustainable and intelligent rail technology. Our industry leading […]
Union Pacific has earned a 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, earning it a place on the foundation’s “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality list, the railroad has announced. Union Pacific was the only railroad to earn a 100% score. Amtrak and BNSF Railway also scored well, at 90% […]
LOS ANGELES — The LA Metro board of directors on Thursday approved construction of a 19.3-mile light rail line, following a former Pacific Electric route, to connect downtown Los Angeles to the southeast LA County city of Artesia. The Los Angeles Daily News reports the new line, called the West Santa Ana Branch, will cost […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — With one senator calling the project “a boondoggle of historic proportions,” a bipartisan group of Minnesota state legislators is calling for an audit of a light rail project that has soared in cost and is now projected to open four years late. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the legislators are calling […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority board of directors has approved a staff plan for a one-time transfer of $500 million from its operating budget to its capital budget for projects including a collision-avoidance system on the rapid transit Green Line and Automatic Train Control on the MBTA commuter rail system. CommonWealth Magazine reports […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has installed five hybrid overhead gantry cranes at intermodal terminals in Chicago and Atlanta, part of an ongoing effort to replace existing cranes with hybrid or electric-powered units across its network over the next decade. The 60-foot-tall cranes are diesel-electric hybrids, which use battery power in normal use and battery and […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — Carrie Evans, vice president and chief commercial officer of Iowa Interstate Railroad, was elected president of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers at the organization’s winter meeting earlier this month. She succeeds Stefan Loeb of Watco, who remains one of the organization’s officers as immediate past president. “I look forward to the […]
CALGARY, Alberta – Other Class I railroads should not be able to use the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger process as a way to improve their competitive positions, CP CEO Keith Creel says. BNSF Railway, Canadian National, and Norfolk Southern have sought concessions related to the merger, which is currently under review at the U.S. […]
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific’s fourth-quarter earnings declined due to a combination of harsh weather, a smaller Canadian grain crop, and costs related to the Kansas City Southern merger. CEO Keith Creel said on the company’s earnings call Thursday afternoon that while railroading is an outdoor sport, the extreme conditions in November and December tested the […]
