Digest: Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad sets schedule, to resume operation May 1

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad logo

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to resume operation May 1 Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad will resume operation May 1 with National Park Scenic rides operating through Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Trains will operate three days a week (Friday through Sunday) in May and five days a week (Wednesday through Sunday) beginning in June. “We look […]

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Massachusetts DOT, MBTA challenge CSX acquisition of Pan Am Railways

Train coming around curve

WASHINGTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority have told federal regulators that they oppose CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways. In a filing with the Surface Transportation Board this week, state officials claim the transaction will harm rail competition, potentially hinder commuter rail operations, and […]

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Digest: MTA says safety rules weren’t followed at site of electrical-shock accident

Logo of Metropolitan Transportation Authority

MTA says contractor failed to follow safety rules at site of LIRR construction accident The contractor performing work that led to the severe electrical-shock injury of an ironworker at a Long Island Rail Road station last weekend failed to follow some safety protocols, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said. Newsday reports the accident at the LIRR […]

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Digest: Hitachi contract for DC Metro cars could be worth $2.2 billion

Rendering of subway car

Hitachi Rail finalizes contract to build up to 800 DC Metro cars Hitachi Rail has received a contract worth up to $2.2 billion to build new 8000-series railcars for the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, finalizing a decision and setting financial terms for a deal first reported in October. The initial contract with DC Metro is […]

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Digest: MBTA sidelines new CRRC cars after derailment

Rapid transit trainset in factory

MBTA takes new cars out of service, will run bus bridge for three weeks after derailment The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has taken its new Orange Line and Red Line subway cars out of service as it investigates Tuesday’s low-speed derailment of a train with 100 passengers aboard. The Boston Herald also reports a bus […]

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B&O freight under wire

Road-switcher diesel locomotives with freight train

Two GP38s and a GP40 lead a Baltimore & Ohio freight out of Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac’s Potomac Yard in Arlington, Va., in April 1971. The train will soon enter Washington, D.C., via the “Long Bridge” over the Potomac River. The catenary is for Penn Central freight trains, which also use “Pot Yard.” David Ingles […]

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Digest: Transportation Safety Board of Canada releases report on 2019 CP collision, derailment

Locomotives off track after collision

Crew misunderstanding, lack of ‘physical defenses’ play part in CP Calgary accident, TSB says A yard crew’s misunderstanding of track permission granted to an intermodal train, along with a lack of “physical defenses” such as signals, led to a collision and derailment of two Canadian Pacific trains near Calgary’s Alyth Yard in March 2019, the […]

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Vermont Rail System opposes CSX acquisition of Pan Am Railways (updated)

Vermont Rail System logo

WASHINGTON — Vermont Rail System has urged federal regulators to reject CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of neighboring New England regional Pan Am Railways, saying the deal would reduce competition. Much of VRS’s opposition, disclosed in regulatory filing on Tuesday, flows from a separate element of the Pan Am deal: The naming of a Genesee & […]

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Digest: Plymouth, Minn., derailment could be cleaned up in weeks, CP says

Derailed tank cars along single track main line in snowy rural scene.

CP says Minnesota derailment could be cleaned up in weeks Just days after city officials said cleanup of a March 7 Canadian Pacific derailment in Plymouth, Minn., could last into the summer, a new estimate says the work could be done in about four weeks. The Sun Sailor newspaper reports the change reflects a determination […]

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Digest: Maryland county to take over Western Maryland Scenic track work

Steam train

Allegany County, Md., to take over track repairs needed by Western Maryland Scenic Allegany County, Md., is taking over track maintenance of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad from the heritage line, the Cumberland Times-News reports. The move comes after the Federal Railroad Administration in February ordered the replacement of 50,000 ties before the railroad — […]

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Digest: Union requests arbitration with Long Island Rail Road in contract negotiation

Two electric multiple-unit trains meet at station

Union representing train operators requests arbitration with Long Island Rail Road The union representing Long Island Rail Road train operators have requested mediation in a contract impasse that could eventually lead to a work stoppage. Newsday reports the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which represents 500 LIRR crew members, applied to the National Mediation […]

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