Virginia marks groundbreaking for Amtrak extension to New River Valley

Map of rail lines between Roanoke and Christiansburg, Va.

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin led the list of officials on hand Thursday (April 24, 2025) for groundbreaking on the New River Valley Rail Project, which will allow extension of Amtrak service from Roanoke, Va., to Christiansburg. When that service begins, it will be the first time the New River Valley has had […]

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FreightCar America reports orders for 1,250 cars in first quarter

Logo of FreightCar America

CHICAGO — Manufacturer FreightCar America received orders for 1,250 railcars with a value of approximately $141 million during the first quarter of 2025, the company has reported. The orders represent about 25% of all new railcars in the quarter and about 36% in its addressable market. That represents the company’s largest market share of new […]

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NJ Transit withdraws most recent contract offer to BLET

NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit has rescinded its most recent offer to members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, a step backward in the long-running dispute between the agency and union, Northjersey.com reports. A potential strike or lockout of engineers, who have been working without a contract since 2019, could come as soon […]

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Empty container glut could cause congestion, but BNSF and UP say they’ve got capacity

Since late last year BNSF Railway and Union Pacific have been busy handling a surge of containers from West Coast ports as U.S. companies pulled forward their imports in order to beat potential tariffs. But now with a trade war under way — and tariffs as high as 145% on goods made in China — […]

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BLET president Hall to retire

Eddie Hall, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, has announced his retirement. BLET

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Eddie Hall, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, will retire effective May 1, 2025, the union has announced. Hall, BLET president since Jan. 1, 2023, announced his retirement at an April 23 meeting of the union’s Advisory Board in New Orleans. His decision was announced today (April 24). Mark […]

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Jury decides GATX won’t have to help pay East Palestine derailment settlement

Black cloud of smoke above town

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — GATX, the rail equipment leasing company that owned one of the railcars in the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, will not have to pay a portion of Norfolk Southern’s $600 million settlement with residents. After a trial that lasted more than three weeks, a federal jury in Youngstown on Wednesday found GATX Corp. […]

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Amtrak Gulf Coast trains to be known as ‘Mardi Gras Service’

Map of rail line between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala.

The Gulf Coast continues to wait for its long-awaited Amtrak service. But at least now it knows the name for the trains between Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans. The two daily round trips will be known as Amtrak Mardi Gras Service, the company announced today. No date for the start of service was announced beyond […]

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Union Pacific posts flat quarterly results despite volume growth

Yellow locomotive leading freight train with Chicago skyline in background

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific reported flat quarterly earnings today (April 24, 2025) as a decline in fuel surcharge revenue offset record freight revenue that flowed from industry-leading volume growth. “We had a solid start to the year … we delivered record first quarter operating performance,” CEO Jim Vena told investors and analysts on the […]

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Weekly U.S. rail volume continues above 2024 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus total intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic continues to run ahead of 2024 levels, with increases in both carload and intermodal traffic. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads for the week ending April 19 shows total traffic of 496,053 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 4.5% over the same week a year ago. The […]

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NTSB report on NS rear-end collision urges FRA to finish research on patching hole in PTC

WASHINGTON — The probable cause of a rear-end collision between two Norfolk Southern freight trains near Easton, Pa., last year — an incident that involved three trains in all — was the engineer’s failure to follow restricted speed requirements, the National Transportation Safety Board said today (April 23, 2025). But the lack of positive train […]

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VIA’s Canadian turns 70, operating with equipment from when it began

TORONTO — April 24,1955, was what Canadian Pacific publicity mavens characterized as a “Red Letter Day,” because that was when its new silver flagship, the Canadian, debuted with daily departures from Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Seventy years later, VIA Rail Canada commemorated the occasion with a high-profile sendoff of its version of the train — […]

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