WASHINGTON — A proposed new, 6-mile Union Pacific branchline in the Phoenix area would have no significant environmental impacts so long as mitigation recommendations are followed, the Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis said today. As a result, the project — dubbed PIRATE for Pecos Industrial Rail Access Train Extension — will not require […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX welcomed more than 130 short line partners to its annual Short Line Conference, held Feb. 22–24, continuing a 35-year tradition. CSX says the event provided short line leaders with direct access to the Class I railroad’s executives and experts from across the company. “This conference is about alignment, growing together, performing […]
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen reached a tentative agreement on a five-year contract with the Indiana Rail Road earlier this month, the union has announced. The agreement, which would be retroactive to July 1, 2024, would include annual pay raises each year through July 1, 2029, as well as a […]
For many years Hobbyshop Window was a popular department in the pages of Model Railroader magazine. We’re excited to bring it back as an occasional feature on Trains.com. Here’s a recap of some of the items that arrived at our offices for the week ending February 27th 2026. Keep up to date on the latest […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has weighed in on the Surface Transportation Board’s proposal to revise its rules regarding reciprocal switching, saying such agreements would serve national defense interests. The STB in January announced plans to repeal regulations that it says have prevented captive carload and bulk shippers from gaining access to a second railroad […]
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — CSX has reduced cargo theft in the Memphis area by more than 80% from a year ago through a task force targeting the issue as well as operational changes, the railroad says. Following a pandemic-era increase in criminal activity, the task force was formed in 2024 to address concerns for customer shipments, […]
Wabtec and Progress Rail said today that they have reached a settlement in the antitrust case that Progress Rail brought against Wabtec in 2023. In the suit, Progress Rail argued that its larger rival engaged in anticompetitive behavior and should have to divest its acquisition of GE Transportation. The 2019 GE acquisition, Progress Rail said […]
COLUMBUS, Ga. — A Georgia city’s lawsuit claiming ownership of most of a Norfolk Southern rail yard landed in federal court on Wednesday (Feb. 25), where a judge will now determine if that is the proper venue for the dispute. Neither the railroad nor the City of Columbus believe it is. WRBL-TV reports Judge Clay […]
BLUE ISLAND, Ill. — OmniTRAX has signed a long-term lease to operate a new multimodal logistics hub in the city of Blue Island, the company announced today (Feb. 26). The 90-acre parcel is just southwest of Chicago, bordering 119th and Division streets within the Blue Island Commercial Center. Operation of the new hub will begin […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Reps. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) have introduced the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act, which includes components of the never-passed Railway Safety Act of 2024. Many elements of the bill introduced on Wednesday, Feb. 25, parallel those in the Railway Safety Act of 2026, introduced in the Senate on Tuesday [see […]
WASHINGTON — Led by a major increase in carload volume, U.S. rail traffic showed a big jump for the week ending Feb. 25, gaining 10.7% from the same week last year. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, traffic for the week was 507,712 carloads and intermodal units. That included 227,124 carloads, an […]
TISHOMINGO, Miss. — An unprecedented January ice storm has complicated the efforts of a start-up short line railroad looking to restore freight service in rural northern Mississippi. Jeremy Funderburk, president of the North Mississippi & Alabama Railroad, and his work crew and equipment, have been putting in 10-hour workdays to chew through thousands of downed […]
