Swiss investigators’ final report confirms cause of Gotthard Base Tunnel derailment

Damaged railcar and doors in tunnel

BERN, Switzerland — A broken wheel was the cause of the derailment in the Gotthard Base Tunnel that disrupted traffic through the world’s longest rail tunnel for more than a year, the Swiss Safety Investigation Center (SUST) confirmed in its final report on the Aug. 10, 2023, incident. In a press release on the final […]

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East Troy Industrial Park, Ep. 12 | Wiring

David and Bryson can’t run trains on the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park project layout without routing power to the rails! Follow along, as the hosts work to attach feeders to the rails and string a network of wiring underneath the model railroad. You won’t want to miss any of the insider tips […]

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Trump budget calls for 25% cut in Amtrak Northeast Corridor funding (updated)

Amtrak passenger train on Northeast Corridor

WASHINGTON — Funding for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor would be cut from $1.14 billion to $850 million — a 25% decrease — under President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for fiscal 2026, according to budget information released by the Department of Transportation on Friday. According to the detailed DOT budget request, Amtrak national network funding would increase […]

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Arbitrator’s decision in CPKC-Teamsters Canada dispute awards 3% raises

CPKC train in Canadian Rockies

CALGARY, Alberta — A Canadian arbitrator has delivered his decision setting terms of new collective bargaining agreements between Canadian Pacific Kansas City and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference’s train and engine and rail traffic controller divisions. The contract, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2024 and running through Dec. 31, 2027, includes annual wage increases of 3%. […]

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Las Vegas, Nev., police seek help with derailment investigation

Surveillance camera photos of three people

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Las Vegas police are seeking help in identifying three people who may be responsible for derailment of three railcars earlier this month, causing almost $25,000 in damage and cleanup costs. The May 23 incident occurred in the 9700 block of South Rainbow Boulevard. According to a police department press release, an […]

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Regulators hit pause button on Watco’s acquisition of Great Lakes Central

Freshly painted blue diesel next to tree in full fall colors

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators want Watco to provide more information about its proposed acquisition of Michigan short line Great Lakes Central before they will allow the deal to proceed. Watco on March 6 sought to have the deal to acquire the 420-mile Great Lakes Central exempt from a Surface Transportation Board review, as is common […]

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BNSF, J.B. Hunt, and GMXT announce cross-border Quantum de Mexico service

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — BNSF Railway and intermodal partner J.B. Hunt have launched cross-border Quantum de Mexico premium service in conjunction with GMXT’s Ferromex. Like domestic Quantum service in the U.S., Quantum de Mexico takes aim at highly service-sensitive freight that has never moved on rails before, the companies announced this morning at the Mexican […]

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Wells Fargo to sell rail leasing business

Black GATX railroad tank car

SAN FRANCISCO — Wells Fargo will sell its rail leasing equipment business to a newly formed joint venture of GATX Corp. and Brookfield Infrastructure, the financial company announced Thursday (May 29, 2025). The joint venture will purchase approximately 105,000 railcars for $4.4 billion; Brookfield will separately acquire the Wells Fargo rail finance portfolio of approximately […]

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How to build a freight train

Train passes a grass-lined pond

The first step in building a freight train is understanding what railroaders mean by “compliance.” A freight train is said to be “in compliance” when it’s assembled properly and is operating according to the railroad’s rules. In practice, crews need to devote as much attention to the big picture of compliance as they do to […]

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British Columbia to receive largest investment under CN capital plan (updated)

Locomotive switching at container terminal

MONTREAL — After announcing its overall 2025 capital spending plan earlier this month, Canadian National has now released province-by-province plans for the Canadian portion of that plan. British Columbia, where the railroad is working to improve fluidity to and from Vancouver and add capacity to the Port of Prince Rupert, will receive the largest investment, […]

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Supreme Court rules in favor of Uinta Basin Railway backers (updated)

WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board’s environmental review of the proposed Uinta Basin Railway was proper, the U.S. Supreme Court said today in an 8-0 decision that overturns a lower court’s order that blocked construction of the 88-mile Utah railroad. The STB in December 2021 approved the project, noting that the transportation merits of the […]

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