Groundbreaking set for Amtrak facility in Mobile

aerial view of land along railroad tracks near water

MOBILE, Ala. — Another step in the long-running effort to launch Amtrak service between Mobile and New Orleans is set for Tuesday, Oct. 22, when officials including U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg take part in a groundbreaking ceremony for an Amtrak layover track and platform in Mobile. The ceremony is set for 2 p.m. at […]

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Trains.com Insider Exclusive | Founder Jason Shron reflects on 20 years of Rapido Trains Inc.

In this late summer 2024 interview hosted by Model Railroader magazine’s Editor Eric White and Senior Editor Cody Grivno, the two visited with founder and CEO of Rapido Trains Inc., Jason Shron. The dream job of making model trains is one nearly every hobbyist envisions, but few have ever brought to fruition. In the span […]

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Portland, Ore., puts Union Station up for sale

Exterior of railroad station with prominent clock tower

PORTLAND, Ore. — Following years of failed efforts to come up with money for a local match to apply for federal grants to help fund needed upgrades, the city of Portland has renewed efforts to sell Union Station. Built in 1896 and on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975, the station’s signature clock […]

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Coos Bay, Ore., port receives grant for intermodal project

Logo of the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port project at the Port of Coos Bay, Ore.

COOS BAY, Ore. — The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay will receive a $25 million federal grant for its intermodal project, the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port, the port has announced. The grant, from the Department of Transportation’s INFRA (Infrastructure for Rebuilding America) program, will go toward environmental compliance and permitting, as well as design […]

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UP begins work on Kansas City intermodal terminal

Yellow locomotives moving double-stack cars with container crains in background

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Union Pacific has started construction on a new intermodal terminal in Kansas City, expected to open in mid-2025, the railroad announced. The Kansas City Intermodal Terminal, located in Kansas City, Kan., will be the fourth such facility UP has built in the past few years, and will offer more capacity than […]

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South Shore opens new Hammond, Ind., station

Map of location of old and new South Shore Line stations in Hammond, Ind.

HAMMOND, Ind. — The South Shore Line is opening its new Hammond Gateway station as of today (Friday, Oct. 18) and closing the existing Hammond station. The relocation will accommodate the West Lake Corridor line between Hammond and Dyer, Ind., currently under construction. “We sincerely appreciate our passengers’ patience and cooperation through this stage of […]

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Cancellation of VIA’s Canadian leaves passengers to find own way home (corrected)

VIA Rail Canada logo

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Passengers on VIA Rail Canada’s Canadian who found their trip disrupted by a freight-train accident in Saskatchewan on Wednesday were eventually taken to Winnipeg, but left to find their own way home from there, the CBC reports. The collision between a CN freight train and a farm tractor killed the driver of […]

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Great Lakes Central introduces a new look

CADILLAC, Mich. — Great Lakes Central Railroad painter Dave Leonard is a perfectionist. He and car shop worker Steve Smith have just spent 30 minutes measuring, remeasuring, and placing masking tape on Great Lakes Central Railroad’s new logo, on the repainted nose of former Montana Rail Link SD35 No. 384. It’s one of three such […]

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Error in handling track permit led to collision between CP train and hi-rail vehicle, TSB says

Red locomotive and burning truck

RICHMOND, British Columbia — An error in canceling a track occupancy permit led to a Canadian Pacific train striking a track supervisor’s hi-rail vehicle in a Dec. 29, 2022, incident, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in an investigation report released on Thursday, Oct. 17. No one was injured in the incident near Kamloops, […]

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Mexican legislation seeks to reverse privatization of rail industry

Three trains at station

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s Congress has passed legislation which would reverse railroad privatization laws enacted in the 1990s and give the government more control over rail operations, particularly in terms of passenger rail. Mexico News Daily reports the Senate passed the bill 123-0 on Wednesday. Because the legislation is a constitutional reform, it still must […]

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