A Chicago-bound Illinois Zephyr passes through Downers Grove, Ill. Amtrak ridership has dropped from 100,000 passengers a day to about 4,000 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the passenger railroad’s CEO says. TRAINS: David Lassen Monday morning rail news: — Amtrak, which normally handles 100,000 passengers a day, is down to about 4,000 a day because […]
A screen shot from BNSF’s video updating its response to the COVID-19 virus. BNSF Railway Three Class I railroads have released videos addressing their response to the coronavirus pandemic. BNSF Railways’ video, available here, features Jon Gabriel, general superintendent of the railroad’s Network Operations Center in Fort Worth, Texas. It updates current service and moves […]
Pan Am Southern train 11R, with Norfolk Southern power, was the first to pass through the reopened Hoosac Tunnel on Saturday night. Norfolk Southern More Monday morning rail news: — Pan Am Railways’s Hoosac Tunnel in Western Massachusetts, closed since Feb. 12 because of the partial collapse of a wall, reopened Saturday night, Norfolk Southern […]
The Wabash Valley Railroad Museum successfully moved a 1922 New York Central boxcar from Greencastle, Ind., to the museum on Tuesday. Wabash Valley Railroad Museum More Wednesday rail news: — The Wabash Valley Railroad Museum successfully completed the move of a 1922 New York Central boxcar from Greencastle, Ind., to the museum in Terre Haute […]
Passengers board the Missouri River Runner at Kirkwood, Mo., in 2014. A state house committee has voted to overturn a plan which would cut the service from two round trips to one. Bob Johnston More Tuesday morning rail news: — Amtrak says it and its state partners will need $1 billion in assistance as a […]
More Friday rail news: — BNSF Railway is not shielded from liability in lawsuits stemming from asbestos contamination in Libby, Mont., the Montana Supreme Court has ruled. The Flathead Beacon reports that the court upheld a ruling by Montana Asbestos Claim Court Judge Amy Eddy, who concluded the claims against the railroad are not preempted […]
Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett runs a BNSF Railway model train as BNSF CEO Carl R. Ice, right, looks on during Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Neb., in 2019. BNSF Railway OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway has improved its profit margins without having to adopt Precision Scheduled Railroading, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett […]
A BNSF Railway baretable train ascends Tehachapi Loop in California in September 2019. Bill Stephens FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway’s profits rose last year as rate increases and cost controls overcame the impact of a volume slump and unusually harsh weather that included historic flooding in the Midwest. BNSF announced its financial results on […]
More Monday morning rail news: — In response to an increase in onboard crime, Amtrak is moving many of its police officers out of stations and onto trains. The Washington Post reports. Amtrak had reportedly planned to reduce its police force last year [see “Union official tells paper Amtrak plans 20-percent cut to police force,” […]
Rail news for your Friday morning: — The Washington State Supreme Court has ruled that Sound Transit may continue charging auto registration taxes, rejecting the argument in a class-action lawsuit that the taxes, known locally as car-tab fees, are unconstitutional. The Seattle Times reports the court ruled 7-2 for the transit agency. — LA-area commuter […]
On June 10, 1993, a Burlington Northern SD60M and SD40-2 take an eastbound freight along the Missouri River and into Lombard Canyon just east of Toston, Mont. Tom Danneman Learn about Trains Art Director Tom Danneman’s favorite Burlington Northern Railroad Company diesel locomotives, presented in no particular order. The story of Burlington Northern has been […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — In a regular service advisory, BNSF Railway began telling customers on Jan. 31 that it will spend more than $3 billion on capital projects throughout its network. BNSF’s statement is as follows: “BNSF’s 2020 capital investment plan reflects our emphasis on keeping the network in the best condition it has ever […]
