General Electric locomotives One year after Genesee & Wyoming’s June 2023 announcement it was buying second-hand General Electric power from Wabtec to bolster its fleet, the rollout of these locomotives on many of its properties is well underway. The comfort cab-equipped locomotives are part of a vast rearrangement of power on many Genesee & Wyoming […]
MONTREAL — The Montreal Port Authority has completed a multi-year flagship project to improve its logistics services and increase rail capacity to “substantially contribute to the local and regional economy,” port leaders said. The $62.4 million project, which took three years to complete, extends from Bourbonnière Avenue to Panet Street, near the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. Officials […]
LOS ANGELES — The Port of Los Angeles has announced completion of the Pier 400 rail expansion, a $73 million program to expand the on-dock yard at the container terminal operated by APM Terminals. The project added five new storage tracks totaling 31,000 linear feet, new crossovers and turnouts, a concrete rail bridge with […]
Throughout their history, railroads have been under the spell of the Not Invented Here Syndrome. If a rival railroad — or, worse still, an industry outsider — found a better way to do something, railroads would heap scorn on the idea. “Why, fill-in-the-blank would never work on our railroad!” Actually, it probably would. And examples […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic began the second half of 2024 the same way it ended the first half — with increased volume compared to 2023. For the week ending July 6, U.S. railroads handed 421,817 carloads and intermodal units, a 3.3% increase over the same week a year earlier, according to statistics from […]
ATLANTA — National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy had harsh words for Norfolk Southern at the conclusion of last month’s hearing on the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, hazardous materials derailment. But today, after a visit to the railroad’s headquarters, Homendy praised CEO Alan Shaw for pledging to exceed the safety recommendations that the NTSB […]
CHICAGO — Metra, which has a long-range goal of adding dedicated train service between O’Hare International Airport and downtown Chicago, will provide a sampling of what that service could be like during the upcoming Democratic National Convention. The commuter rail operator will offer shuttle service between its O’Hare Transfer station and Chicago Union Station on […]
Glendale railroad station The former Southern Pacific railroad station at Glendale, Calif., has always hidden in plain sight as the typical railroad station for countless movies, television shows, and commercials. Physically convenient to the majority of “Hollywood” studios and in a good area with nice surroundings, it gives the entertainment industry a great bang for […]
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The National Museum of Industrial History will offer a day-long, rare-mileage trip to Vosburg Tunnel on the Reading & Northern Railroad, using two R&N Budd Rail Diesel Cars, on Wednesday, July 31. The 3,900-foot former Lehigh Valley Railroad tunnel north of Tunkhannock, Pa., was completed in 1886. The trip, the 2024 Anthracite […]
WASHINGTON — More than $1.1 billion in funding is now available under a federal program to eliminate railroad grade crossings. The Federal Railroad Administration on Tuesday issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity for those funds under the Rail Crossing Elimination Grant Program, which provides money for grade-crossing separations, upgraded safety devises, or crossing closures. Applications […]
CHICAGO — The heads of Chicago’s four transit agencies argued Tuesday at a legislative hearing that financial support, not structure, is the key issue they face in trying to serve the region’s passengers. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the top officials at Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, bus operator Pace, and the overarching Regional Transportation […]
CHICAGO — Metra’s Electric District will see some service disruptions July 13-20 to accommodate construction work adding a fourth track in downtown Chicago. On Saturday, July 13, and Saturday, July 20, Electric service will operate on a Sunday schedule to reduce the number of trains in the construction zone, while midday service will change on […]
