Norfolk Southern train derails in Missouri (updated)

Derailed auto racks

HUNTINGTON, Mo. — An estimated 33 cars of a Norfolk Southern train, many of them carrying new automobiles, derailed Monday afternoon in northern Ralls County, Mo. No injuries or hazardous material spills were reported. KHQA-TV reports the Missouri State Highway Patrol and other first responders were notified of the derailment about 12:15 p.m. The accident […]

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Transport Canada approves new switching rules

Transport Canada logo

OTTAWA, Ontario — Transport Canada has approved new rules to address uncontrolled movement of railway equipment during switching. The approved rules, announced July 30, determine when air brakes must be used during switching, to ensure a consistent approach across the rail system; measure to secure stationary equipment during switching operations; and speed restrictions when switching […]

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Railroad man

Man in caboose cupola

Railroad man Gainesville Midland Railroad conductor L. C. Birchfield is perched in a caboose cupola in the late 1950s. The railroad ran between Gainesville and Athens in northern Georgia and one time had a branch to Monroe. Seaboard Air Line purchased the road in June 1959. Philip R. Hastings photo […]

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Union Pacific reopens Dry Canyon Bridge (updated)

Train crossing bridge next to construction equipment

WEED, Calif. — Union Pacific has reopened the Dry Canyon Bridge a month ahead of its original estimate, allowing the railroad to resume operations on its I-5 Corridor line between California and the Pacific Northwest. The railroad initially estimated the bridge would not be completed until Sept. 1, but last week said it could be […]

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Kansas City Southern responds to CP appeal to shareholders

Logos for Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and Kansas City Southern

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern has fired back at Canadian Pacific’s appeal to its stockholders to turn down the proposed merger with Canadian National, saying those stockholders should focus on the fact CN’s offer is worth $50 more per share than the last CP proposal. CP filed a proxy statement asking KCS shareholders […]

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STB accepts CSX Transportation’s Pan Am merger application

Front of a train

WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board has accepted CSX Transportation’s beefed up Pan Am Railways merger application and established a schedule for reviewing the deal that would expand CSX’s presence in New England. If the board approves the deal, Pan Am would become a fallen flag on May 1, 2022. Comments on the merger are due […]

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Shipper coalition urges federal regulators to permit reciprocal switching

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON – A coalition representing a broad range of rail shippers has asked the Surface Transportation Board to increase competition among railroads by finalizing rules that would permit reciprocal switching. “Given the dramatic concentration of market power in the railroad industry, rethinking policies designed for a different era is both timely and smart. Reciprocal switching […]

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Weekly traffic stats remain ahead of 2020 figures, fall slightly from previous week

Weekly table showing U.S. rail traffic stats by carload type and intermodal

WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic remains ahead of 2020 figures, although week-to-week numbers showed a slight decline, perhaps reflecting traffic disruptions by fires on the West Coast. For the week ending July 28, U.S. railroads moved 230,095 carloads (up 7.1% from the same week a year earlier), and 273,124 intermodal units (up 2.6%) for […]

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Canadian Pacific reports record financial and safety results

Tank train passing signals on open prairie

CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific set quarterly records for revenue, earnings, and adjusted operating ratio as second quarter volume bounced back from last year’s pandemic lows. “Behind those numbers obviously is a very impressive operating performance,” CEO Keith Creel says, rattling off a list of key metrics that improved, including train length and weight and […]

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Norfolk Southern outlook brightens after record second quarter

Black locomotives lead train through curve

NORFOLK, Va. — Buoyed by strong volume and revenue growth, Norfolk Southern lifted its outlook for the year as it reported record second-quarter financial results on Wednesday. “We are even more confident about growth for the balance of this year,” CEO Jim Squires told investors and analysts on the railroad’s earnings call. The railroad now […]

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Wildfire disruptions continue in West; Union Pacific sees earlier reopening for I-5 corridor

Map showing long reroute required for BNSF trains because of fire closure

Union Pacific’s Feather River Canyon route in Northern California has been shut down by wildfires, but the railroad says its main north-south route on the West Coast, the I-5 corridor, could reopen sooner than original estimates. Meanwhile, BNSF’s Inside Gateway route, which makes use of use of part of the UP Feather River route, also […]

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