Amtrak marks completion of Keystone Line track project

Passenger train on newly rebuilt track

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Amtrak marked the completion of major track reconstruction and restoration of full service on its Keystone Line on Monday, capping an eight-month project to replace more than 43 miles of track between Harrisburg and Lancaster, Pa. The work also included installation of more than 113,000 concrete ties. The $122 million project required […]

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Union Pacific chief legal officer to retire

Smiling white-haired man in suit

OMAHA, Neb. — Craig Richardson, Union Pacific’s executive vice president, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary, will retire March 31, 2025, the railroad has announced. UP said in a post on its website that, in anticipation of Richardson’s departure, Christina Conlin will join the railroad as of Dec. 2 as senior vice president and deputy […]

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BNSF remains committed to volume growth, chief marketing officer says

Freight train snaking through curves in mountains

NEW YORK — BNSF Railway remains committed to volume growth even as it seeks to improve its profit margins. “Growth is foundational for us,” BNSF Chief Marketing Officer Tom Williams told the RailTrends conference last week, noting that BNSF has accounted for 72% of the industry’s volume growth since it was formed in 1996. In […]

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Railroads have turned the corner on service and resiliency, analysts say

NEW YORK — The U.S. Class I railroads have turned the corner on service and resiliency and are poised for volume growth for the first time in years. That’s the view of a trio of analysts – Anthony B. Hatch, Rick Paterson, and Larry Gross – who spoke at the RailTrends conference last week. Paterson, […]

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Conciliation officers assigned for CN negotiations with electricians

Logo of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Canada

MONTREAL — Canada’s labor minister, Steven MacKinnon, has appointed three conciliation officers to assist in negotiations between Canadian National and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, CN said on Friday. The IBEW, which represents about CN 750 signal and communication workers across Canada, filed a notice of dispute on Oct. 29, indicating that the union […]

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MTA sets four-month closure of A Train to Rockaway Peninsula, outlines alternatives

Map of New York subway lines to Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will offer free shuttle buses, a shuttle train service, and discounted Long Island Rail Road fares during an upcoming closure of the subway A train to the Rockaways under a plan announced this week. The MTA announced earlier this month that A trains would not run between Howard […]

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Caltrain equipment is bound for Peru

Diesel power commuter train under overhead wire

SAN BRUNO, Calif. — Caltrain’s diesel-powered commuter rail trainsets will find a new life in Peru. The commuter rail operator announced that it has completed an agreement to send 19 locomotives and 90 gallery commuter cars to Lima, Peru, for some $6 million, a deal which also involved the U.S. State Department, Department of Commerce, […]

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Congressman defends California HSR while urging incremental approach for fast trains

High speed train on regular tracks

WASHINGTON — Although the California High-Speed Rail Authority faces stiff financial headwinds with Republicans capturing the presidency and both houses of Congress, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) told High Speed Rail Alliance webinar participants this week, “I’m not afraid to defend California High Speed Rail.” Moulton, along with U.S. Rep Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), introduced the […]

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DeKalb, Ill., moves toward new study on extension of Metra line

Commuter train arrives at station on cloudy day

DeKALB, Ill. — The DeKalb City Council has authorized a state grant to pay for a new study on extending Metra service to the city, Shaw News reports. The $400,000 technical assistance grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation will build on an earlier feasibility study completed in 2023 that addressed financial benefits and potential […]

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North Carolina awards $12.9 million in grants for short line, port rail improvements

Aerial view of container storage facility

RALEIGH, N.C. — Eleven short line railroads and two ports in North Carolina will receive almost $13 million in grant funding from the state’s Freight Rail & Rail Crossing Safety Improvement program, the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Rail Division has announced. The funding, which requires a 50% match from recipients, will go to a total […]

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Completion of Montreal’s REM now projected for fall 2025

Map of Montreal light rail system

MONTREAL — Opening of the largest portion of Montreal’s light rail network has been pushed back to fall 2025, the head of the company building the system has said. A 16.6-kilometer (10.3-mile) segment of the Réseau express métropolitain, serving five stations,opened in July 2023. At that time, most of the rest of the 67-km (41.6-mile), […]

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