German passenger rail company finds (Easter) bunny on board

Brown and white rabbit on tabletop

WÜRZBURG, Germany — If you’re missing your Easter Bunny, you apparently left it on a train in Germany. Passenger rail operator Arverio reported a rabbit was found in a transport box on Thursday at the end of its morning trip from Treuchtligen to Würzberg. “It was not possible to determine who had brought it onto […]

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BNSF CEO Farmer nominated for American Airlines board

Blonde woman in dark clothing speaking

FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines has nominated BNSF Railway CEO Katie Farmer for election to the airline’s board of directors. The board will be elected at the annual meeting of stockholders on June 11. If elected, she will serve on the board’s finance and safety committees. “We are very pleased to nominate Katie to […]

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Representative of financial backer says Texas Central project remains alive

Texas Central logo

AUSTIN, Texas — A representative of the Texas Central project was back in front of a state legislative committee on Thursday (April 17), saying the proposed high-speed rail project is not dead after the federal government rescinded a grant — but also that it is currently “not proposing construction of the project.” The news site […]

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FRA, Amtrak to take over Penn Station remodeling, transportation secretary says

Rendering of open interior area of passenger station

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak will take over the long-discussed remodeling of New York’s Penn Station, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced today (April 17, 2025), saying the move came at the direction of President Donald Trump. The action removes the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from its lead role in the project. It was […]

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Two reports suggest actions to address risks of trains striking vehicles and pedestrians

Pedestrians stopped on sidewalk as train passes close by

WASHINGTON— Amtrak’s independent Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Government Accountability Office have issued separate reports within the last week that address courses of action Amtrak, state agencies, and the Federal Highway Administration might take to reduce injuries and deaths associated with train strikes of vehicles and pedestrians. The Amtrak Inspector General’s 28-page report, […]

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Failure to set hand brakes likely caused wreck that killed Norfolk Southern engineer, NTSB says

National Transportation Safety Board logo

WASHINGTON — The probable cause of a yard collision that fatally injured a Norfolk Southern engineer in January 2024 was a conductor’s failure to ensure that hand brakes were set on a cut of cars, which allowed them to roll away and strike the engineer’s locomotive, the National Transportation Safety Board says. The incident occurred […]

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Eurostar facing competition from London to Paris and Amsterdam

Bright red high-speed train at station

LONDON — No less than seven potential new competitors to Eurostar have emerged in the past few months, seeking to offer international services from London via the Channel Tunnel. At least three — all new startup companies — have started the process of obtaining access to Britain’s only maintenance shop that can handle European structure […]

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Fight over freight delays could hit Amtrak’s wallet: Analysis

Passenger train passes freight

Ride Amtrak outside of the Northeast Corridor and there’s a good chance you’ll arrive late because freight traffic delayed your train — despite the law that gives passenger trains preference. Amtrak is challenging host railroads Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern with a pair of high-profile on-time performance cases that aim to put teeth into the […]

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Florida man indicted for possession of ‘small arsenal’ of weapons on Amtrak train

Aerial view of railroad station

TRENTON, N.J. — A Florida man has been indicted in New Jersey after transporting a “small arsenal” of illegal weapons — including an allegedly “booby-trapped” rifle that fired during his arrest — through stations and onto an Amtrak train. Jeffrey O. Kennerk, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was arrested at the Trenton Transit Center. He […]

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U.S. weekly rail traffic remains ahead of 2024 levels

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

WASHINGTON — U.S. carload and intermodal rail traffic were both up for the week ending April 12, 2025, continuing the recent trend of weekly volume running ahead of 2024 levels. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show volume for the week was 491,908 carloads and intermodal units, a 5.4% increase over the same week […]

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