Cancellation of VIA’s Canadian leaves passengers to find own way home (corrected)

VIA Rail Canada logo

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Passengers on VIA Rail Canada’s Canadian who found their trip disrupted by a freight-train accident in Saskatchewan on Wednesday were eventually taken to Winnipeg, but left to find their own way home from there, the CBC reports. The collision between a CN freight train and a farm tractor killed the driver of […]

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Great Lakes Central introduces a new look

CADILLAC, Mich. — Great Lakes Central Railroad painter Dave Leonard is a perfectionist. He and car shop worker Steve Smith have just spent 30 minutes measuring, remeasuring, and placing masking tape on Great Lakes Central Railroad’s new logo, on the repainted nose of former Montana Rail Link SD35 No. 384. It’s one of three such […]

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Error in handling track permit led to collision between CP train and hi-rail vehicle, TSB says

Red locomotive and burning truck

RICHMOND, British Columbia — An error in canceling a track occupancy permit led to a Canadian Pacific train striking a track supervisor’s hi-rail vehicle in a Dec. 29, 2022, incident, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in an investigation report released on Thursday, Oct. 17. No one was injured in the incident near Kamloops, […]

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Mexican legislation seeks to reverse privatization of rail industry

Three trains at station

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s Congress has passed legislation which would reverse railroad privatization laws enacted in the 1990s and give the government more control over rail operations, particularly in terms of passenger rail. Mexico News Daily reports the Senate passed the bill 123-0 on Wednesday. Because the legislation is a constitutional reform, it still must […]

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SEC subpoenas CSX over misstatements in financial reports

Train with blue and yellow locomotives rounds curve

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Securities and Exchange Commission has subpoenaed CSX Corp. regarding misstatements in previously financial reports, CSX said in its latest quarterly filing with the government agency. CSX delayed its second-quarter financial reports by about two weeks as it reviewed accounting regarding capitalization of engineering materials and labor costs, a move the company […]

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Regulators approve CPKC, CSX acquisition of Meridian & Bigbee

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has approved acquisition by Canadian Pacific Kansas City and CSX Transportation of the Meridian & Bigbee Railroad from Genesee & Wyoming, allowing the two Class I lines to create a new direct connection at Myrtlewood, Ala. The approval is effective Nov. 16, 2024. In separate decisions, the board approved […]

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Union Pacific becomes sponsor of US Speedskating

Logo of US Speedskating

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has become the official sponsor of U.S. Speedskating, the railroad announced Thursday. The four-year agreement runs through March 2028. It includes Union Pacific internship opportunities for athletes preparing for post-competition careers. The first event featuring UP as a sponsor will be part of the 2024 Short Track World Tour, Nov. […]

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Weekly U.S. rail traffic back ahead of 2023 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic rebounded into positive territory compared to 2023 for the week ending Oct. 12, after falling below previous-year levels a week earlier. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, the week saw 505,033 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.6% from the same week in 2023. That included 222,003 […]

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Northern Central Railway names Krieg as operations manager

Woman in cab of steam locomotive

NEW FREEDOM, Pa. — Northern Central Railway of York, a non-profit tourist excursion line, has named Jennifer Krieg as superintendent operations manager. Krieg, who joined the railway as a fireman on the lines replica 1860s-era steam locomotive, will be responsible for overseeing and maintaining that locomotive, two diesels, and eight passenger cars. “I am excited […]

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CSX sees slight revenue gain, feels impacts of hurricanes

Town and rail line showing flood damage

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX faces more than $200 million in reconstruction costs as a result of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and the income impacts of the storms will be felt in both the third and fourth quarters, executives said during the company’s quarterly earnings call today (Wednesday, Oct. 16). Chief Financial Officer Sean Pelkey said […]

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Seventeen Amtrak employees resign over health care fraud investigation

Amtrak logo.

WASHINGTON — Seventeen Amtrak employees in the Northeast have resigned in connection with an investigation by Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General into alleged health care fraud. The employees who have resigned are based at New York Penn Station or an Amtrak base in New Jersey. They include two gang foremen, four linemen, three truck drivers, […]

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Carload Considerations: Freight railroads should take a lesson from NJ Transit

CSX train surrounded by fall foliage

NJ Transit recently hired a Customer Advocate — the actual title of the job. This individual is supposed to be solely responsible for representing customer interests, developing goals and objectives around those interests, cultivating relationships between the public — its customers — and the agency, and developing engagement plans that rely on customer feedback. It’s […]

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