News photos: BNSF passenger special on Raton line

Passenger train led by two black and orange locomotives

BNSF Railway ran a special passenger movement between Kansas City and Albuquerque, N.M., last week, via the Raton and Glorieta subdivisions, in anticipation of the return of a weekly freight movement over part of the line. Officially an engineering special, the movement saw CEO Katie Farmer and some of her staff were on board the […]

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Western railroads struggle with off-rail intermodal supply chain problems

RochelleGlobal3

CHICAGO — Union Pacific may temporarily reopen its idled Global III intermodal terminal in Rochelle, Ill., to help relieve congestion at its Global IV terminal in Joliet, Ill. UP informed customers Wednesday it will temporarily halt shipments of international containers from all West Coast ports to its Global IV terminal for up to a week, […]

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Big Skies & Iron Rails, Summer, Episode 4

The summertime heat is hardly enough to keep western rail adventurer Tom Danneman away from the frontier he loves. Journey with him through the peaks, valleys, and plains of Montana, on his unique mission to find, focus, and capture the hard-charging railroads of the region. Season 1, Episode 4, playing exclusively on Trains.com! […]

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Big Skies & Iron Rails, Summer, Episode 4

The summertime heat is hardly enough to keep western rail adventurer Tom Danneman away from the frontier he loves. Journey with him through the peaks, valleys, and plains of Montana, on his unique mission to find, focus, and capture the hard-charging railroads of the region. Season 1, Episode 4, playing exclusively on Trains.com! […]

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Analysis: Are trailers reaching the end of the intermodal road?

Black locomotive with train of trailers in the Midwest

  Intermodal analyst Larry Gross has gone out on a limb. In his latest “Intermodal in Depth” report, Gross predicts the demise of TOFC, or trailer on flatcar service, within the next four years. In some ways, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Trailers have become a smaller and smaller part of the intermodal world as […]

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Minnesota lawmakers approve funding match required for second Chicago-Twin Cities round trip

Passenger train passing under overhead signal bridge on multi-track route

ST. PAUL, Minn. — It was only $10 million out of a $7 billion state omnibus transportation package, but the legislation signed into law on Monday by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz adds the last required match to a $31.8 million 2020 Federal Railroad Administration grant that paves the way for a second Amtrak round-trip between […]

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BNSF coal train derails on recently reactivated line

BNSF Railway logo

BENNET, Neb. — Ten cars of a BNSF coal train derailed Friday evening on a recently reactivated line southeast of Lincoln, Neb. The Lincoln Journal Star reports portions of the train still on the tracks initially blocked traffic on Bennet Road, but crews were able to separate the train to allow traffic flow to resume. […]

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Pandemic accelerates operational changes at BNSF Railway

Intermodal train snakes through curves

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway’s increasing use of longer trains is the most visible element of a broader effort to boost efficiency and productivity. Since the onset of the pandemic BNSF has been combining trains, blending different types of traffic in the same trains, and operating more double-length loaded unit trains of grain and […]

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BNSF Railway working to clear congestion on Southern Transcon

Double-stack container train passing maintenance equipment

FORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway says it’s working to clear a backlog of traffic on its busy Southern Transcon route linking Southern California and Chicago after a series of extreme weather events and a derailment. The weather included record high temperatures around 120 degrees and high winds on the western end of the Transcon, and […]

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CP, BNSF tell federal regulators they can handle rising traffic volumes

BNSF Railway logo

WASHINGTON – Canadian Pacific and BNSF Railway say they have enough crews, power, and other resources to handle surging demand for rail traffic. CP and BNSF are the first two Class I railroads to respond to the Surface Transportation Board’s request for updates about their ability to meet demand. Citing rail service problems, STB Chairman Martin […]

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Digest: State legislators balk at proposed realignment of New York MTA leadership

Head shot of female MTA official

Nomination of Feinberg as MTA chairwoman in jeopardy as legislators balk at plan New York legislators have indicated they will not vote on a proposal that would make Sarah Feinberg, the current interim president of New York City Transit, the new chairwoman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. The New York Times reports the legislature […]

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Radio station report says union official blames BNSF oil-train derailment on sabotage

Train wreckage

SEATTLE, Wash. — A union official told a BNSF Railway hearing that sabotage was responsible for a fiery derailment of a crude-oil train last December in Custer, Wash., a Seattle public radio station is reporting. National Public Radio affiliate KUOW reports Korey McDaniel, part of the safety team with the International Association of Sheet Metal, […]

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