Mexican president opens final segment of Maya Train

Three people cutting white ribbon

CHETUMAL, Mexico — Saying that “only in Mexico can you build a train of more than 1,500 kilometers … in just four years,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Saturday and Sunday marked the opening of the final section of the Maya Train project on the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as the first anniversary of the […]

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What S&P’s energy outlook for 2025 could mean for railroads: Analysis

Coal train passes line of coal hoppers

NEW YORK — Energy demand is growing faster than clean energy’s ability to fulfill it. Data centers and artificial intelligence are exacerbating the issue. New liquified natural gas (LNG) exports from the U.S. could boost prices for domestic natural gas, possibly making coal more competitive for electricity generation. All of this and more has been […]

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Comment period on Del Mar tunnel project shows continued opposition

Map of potential rail tunnels in Del Mar, Calif.

DEL MAR, Calif. — Officials and residents of the San Diego County communities of Del Mar and Solana Beach continue to object to plans to relocate the Surf Line rail route along the Pacific Coast in their communities, a $4 billion proposal that would involve tunneling under the communities to move the tracks off the […]

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News photo: Viewliner sleeper returns in new paint scheme

Side view of passenger car

Amtrak has returned one of its stored Viewliner I sleeping cars to service — and introduced a new passenger-car variant of the Phase VII locomotive paint scheme at the same time. Sleeper No. 62032, the Iroquois River, was caught by photographer Nathan Richters on the southbound Floridian at Fredericksburg, Va., on Saturday, Dec. 14. The […]

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Port Authority approves fare discount for PATH riders with disabilities

Two rapid-transit trainsets side by side at station

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Port Authority Trans-Hudson rail passengers with disabilities will receive a 50% fare discount beginning in 2025, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey board of commissioners has decided. The board on Dec. 12 approved the program, which had been proposed in November by the governors of the two states […]

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Stadler, Caltrain sign technical support agreement

Low-angle view of commuter train in San Francisco

SALT LAKE CITY — Stadler and Caltrain have signed an agreement covering technical support for the commuter operator’s fleet of Stadler-built electric multiple-unit trainsets, the manufacturer has announced. The Technical Support and Spare Supply Agreement, or TSSSA, covers on-site technical support, maintenance management software, material management for preventive and corrective maintenance, and diagnostic assists. It […]

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Jim Mahon, ‘The Bear,’ kept the SP rolling

Man looking at snow from window of rail equipment

Railroaders in charge of fixed plant — often carrying the “roadmaster” title — rarely attract much fame, but a significant exception is James C. Mahon, the longtime Southern Pacific official who won some of SP’s most significant battles against nature and along the way developed legions of fans, especially in California. Mahon, known across the […]

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Legislators urge Amtrak, CN, Metra, UP to reach deal on grant application

Man speaking at podium

CHICAGO — Speaking today at an event to celebrate new grants for Chicago’s CREATE project, U.S. Sen. Dick Durban (D-Ill.) called on passenger carriers and freight operators to reach an agreement wrapping up details of a federal grant application for the Chicago Hub Improvement Program, which would involve infrastructure work in the region as well […]

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Chicago event marks latest CREATE federal funding, touts program’s national significance

Group photo at rail yard

CHICAGO — If there were two messages hammered home during a press conference to celebrate the latest federal funding for the CREATE project, they were these: CREATE may be a local program, but it has national implications. And it is the textbook example of public-private partnership. The event today (Friday, Dec. 13) was to mark […]

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Wyoming and Montana seek to reverse decision that would end Powder River Basin coal leases

Two yellow diesel locomotives pulling a coal train. Progress Rail files antitrust suit against Wabtec

Wyoming and Montana filed a federal lawsuit yesterday that seeks to overturn the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to end coal-mining leases in the Powder River Basin, which is the main source of coal hauled by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific. BLM issued its final decision on coal leases last month. The move came after […]

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