KEARNY, N.J. — NJ Transit has unveiled the newest member of its heritage locomotive fleet. On Saturday, Oct. 5, the agency posted a photo of GP40PH-2B No. 4208 on social media, freshly painted in Conrail blue. In posts on X.com, NJ Transit explained that Conrail was the immediate corporate predecessor to NJ Transit Rail Operations, […]
ROCHESTER, Ind. — It was spring 2023 when Eric Thurlow received an unexpecting phone call asking him if he’d want to become part owner in an Indiana short line. At the time, Thurlow was assistant vice president of sales and marketing at Genesee & Wyoming. On the other end of the phone was Corey Tumpane, […]
PHILADELPHIA — Amtrak broke ground Friday to mark construction of its new heavy maintenance facility at Philadelphia’s Penn Coach Yard, a $462 million project slated for completion in 2027. Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner, Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Amit Bose, and Samantha Silverberg, White House deputy assistant to the President for infrastructure, were among those on […]
WASHINGTON — Members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation’s Railroad, Mechanical, and Engineering Department (SMART-MD) has ratified new contracts with BNSF Railway, CSX, and Norfolk Southern, the union announced. Union members voted 69% in favor of the deal at BNSF, 68% at CSX, and 62% at NS. The five-year agreements, […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway’s merchandise network is now running better than it has in years due to a focus on improving terminal operations. BNSF began looking at ways to unclog its yards earlier this year, an effort that was accelerated in July after the railroad brought in veteran operations guru Ed Harris, a […]
Let’s suppose, for the sake of argument, that the Class I railroads cannot successfully shift into growth mode. What happens then? Carload business will slowly wither away, except for the few bulk and dangerous commodities that have no other way to move. Intermodal will remain stuck in neutral, with domestic container and trailer traffic unable […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway this week published its Winter Plan or 2024-25, an annual document required by the Canadian government to address operating plans in the demanding conditions that can develop in the northern climate. Highlights of the preparations, as outlined by the railroad, include: — Air car program: CN has spent more than […]
The strike by dockworkers that shut down East Coast ports came to an end today (Thursday, Oct. 3) when the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance announced they had come to a tentative agreement on wages and an extension of the master contract. The agreement ended the strike on its third day. […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — The American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) has voted to ratify a new contract agreement with BNSF Railway. The new agreement, announced today, increases wages, accelerates paid vacation accrual, and includes other contractual improvements. The news comes a month ahead of the opening of the next collective bargaining round and provides a […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has asked federal regulators for a timeline for completion of the environmental review of the railroad’s proposal to build a 6-mile branch that would serve an industrial park near Phoenix. On Aug. 31, 2023, the Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis put an indefinite hold on the final environmental assessment […]
Early last spring, it was time to plan a summer vacation and get to some unfinished business. Alison and I agreed on the overall goal: get to Alaska. For her it was the call of Denali National Park and the fjords along the coast south of Seward. For me (no surprise), it was the chance […]
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, known for its stewardship of Nickel Plate Road steam engine No. 765 and the Indiana Rail Experience rail tourism program, has named Kelly Lynch as its first executive director — the first paid employee in the organization’s 52-year history. Lynch has been a member of […]
