MBTA, Keolis to adjust schedules on four commuter lines

Commuter train at station

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and its contract commuter rail operator, Keolis Commuter Services, have announced schedule adjustments on the Fall River/New Bedford Line and three routes, effective July 21. The changes on the South Coast Rail route and the Greenbush, Kingston, and Providence/Stoughton lines are intended to improve reliability. The Fall River/New […]

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Vancouver’s SkyTrain introduces new Mark V trainsets

Blue and black transit train on elevated right-of-way

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The first new Alstom-built Mark V trainset for heavy-rail transit system SkyTrain entered service today (July 10, 2025), transit operator TransLink has announced. The 47-trainset order was placed in December 2020 and represents the largest single rolling stock order for the SkyTrain system, which debuted in 1985 and now covers three […]

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Local Texas group to fund Heartland Flyer for a year

Long passenger train two locomotive and bilevel cars

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Heartland Flyer passenger service has received a one-year funding reprieve, thanks to a decision by the federally designated planning organization for the Dallas-Fort Worth area to divert funding from regional highway tolls to cover the Texas portion of the train’s operating grant. The Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas […]

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Most rail shippers would back a transcontinental merger if concessions are made, survey says

Freight train passes parked electric bilevel equipment

NEW YORK — A majority of railroad shippers would support a transcontinental merger so long as it included concessions such as full reciprocal switching, according to the latest TD Cowen shipper survey. “For the first time, we asked rail shippers if they would support a transcontinental merger; 47% answered that they would support it, a […]

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At shippers’ conference, some pointed words on dealing with railroads

LAKE GENEVA, Wis. — If Class I railroads truly want to grow carload traffic — well, they have a lot of work to do to improve their service. That was the loud-and-clear message from two presentations Wednesday (July 9) at the summer meeting of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers, where Aaron Girard of Seneca Foods […]

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STB seeks members for two advisory groups

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board is seeking candidates to fill vacancies on two of its advisory groups, the Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee and the Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council. There are nine vacancies on the energy committee, the board said: one each for a representative from CPKC, CSX, and a Class II or Class III […]

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Cleanup continues from Tuesday CSX derailment in Indiana

CSX logo

GREENCASTLE, Ind. — Cleanup continues more than 20 cars of a CSX train derailed Tuesday night (July 8, 2025) in Greencastle, Ind. The derailment was reported to first responders about 8 p.m.  Putnam County Emergency Management Director Sarah Owen told the Putnam County Post that there were no injuries, no hazardous materials involved, and the […]

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Rail traffic continues to remain above last year’s levels

Association of American Railroads logo

WASHINGTON – U.S. rail traffic was up 5% for the week ending July 5 compared to the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads reported on Wednesday. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 443,049 carloads and intermodal units, up 5% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads were […]

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STB’s Hedlund on possible transcontinental merger: ‘Bring it’

Woman in light green coat speaking at podium

LAKE GENEVA, Wis. — If a transcontinental rail merger is proposed — as has been a subject of speculation in recent months — it would be up to the Surface Transportation Board to approve or deny the request. But the STB, like most government agencies, is now smaller than it was before the start of […]

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CSX says crew members were unhurt in Atlanta accident (updated)

CSX logo

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — CSX says its crew members are uninjured following a grade-crossing collision and fire this afternoon near Atlanta — contrary to local news reports that said the crew members were among four people with significant injuries. A WAGA-TV report quoted local police as saying the collision between a train and tractor-trailer rig […]

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Caltrain’s Bouchard named chair of Commuter Rail Coalition

Woman in black coat and white shirt

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Michelle Bouchard, executive director of Caltrain, has been elected chair of the Commuter Rail Coalition’s board of directors as part of a new leadership team announced this week by the national advocacy group for commuter rail agencies and operators. Bouchard, who previously served as the coalition’s vice chair, helped lead Caltrain’s $2.4 […]

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Federal court vacates STB’s reciprocal switching rule that took aim at inadequate service

Crew member on ground next to locomotive

CHICAGO – A federal court has tossed out the Surface Transportation Board’s 2024 reciprocal switching rule that would have allowed shippers who suffer from inadequate rail service to gain access to a second railroad. The STB exceeded its authority when it adopted the rule, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit said in […]

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