Péloquin named CEO of VIA Rail Canada

Man standing at podium

MONTREAL — Mario Péloquin will become the new president and CEO of VIA Rail Canada as of June 12, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced Tuesday. Péloquin becomes VIA’s fourth CEO in four years, following Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, Cynthia Garneau, and Martin Landry, who had been CEO since May 2022. Péloquin spent little more than a year […]

Read More…

Auto racks on CPKC train derail in Ontario

CPKC logo

CAMBRIDGE, Ontario — No injuries were reported after 14 cars of a Canadian Pacific Kansas City train derailed today (May 17) near Cambridge, CTV News reports. Robert Shantz, fire chief of the Township of North Dumfries, told CTV that his department had been released from the scene after it was determined no hazardous materials were […]

Read More…

Metra takes STB to court over CPKC decision

Unit tank-car train and commuter train meet

WASHINGTON — Chicago commuter operator Metra has become the third entity to sue over the Surface Transportation Board’s approval of the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger. In a single-page filing with the board, Metra notified the STB today (Wednesday, May 17) that it had initiated a suit on May 12 in the U.S. Court of […]

Read More…

Agriculture secretary urges STB to take steps to improve rail service and competition

Train of covered hoppers in golden light with orange sky

WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has asked the Surface Transportation Board to take several steps to improve rail service. “Unfortunately, while rail service has improved from its worst levels last year, it remains inadequate and unreliable for many agricultural shippers. There is more work to be done,” Vilsack wrote in a May 12 letter […]

Read More…

Continued growth at Prince Rupert will fuel capacity expansions on CN main line

Locomotive switching at container terminal

MONTREAL — Canadian National envisions the day when its main line to the Port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, will host 50 trains per day. “Our capacity right now on that line is about 25 trains a day,” CN CEO Tracy Robinson told an investor conference on Wednesday. “We’re running a little bit below that […]

Read More…

Brightline tickets now on sale for Miami-Orlando service

Passenger train at grade crossing

ORLANDO — Brightline’s Miami-Orlando schedule is out, and tickets are now on sale — even though an official start date has not yet been announced. Starting today, travelers can book tickets on Brightline trains between Orlando International Airport and South Florida destinations. Tickets are on sale for trips Sept. 1 through Jan. 7, 2024; however, […]

Read More…

Cincinnati Southern board delays decision on election

Map of rail line from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Chattanooga, Tenn.

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Southern Railway board of trustees will decide in July whether to place the proposed sale of the city-owned railroad on the November ballot, WVXU Radio reports. The city has agreed to sell the railroad, the nation’s only municipally owned interstate rail line, to Norfolk Southern for $1.62 billion. But city voters […]

Read More…

Gulf & Atlantic completes acquisition of three short lines

Logo of Gulf & Atlantic Railways

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Gulf & Atlantic Railways has completed its acquisition of three railroads in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, expanding the company to five railroads. The company announced today (May 16) that it closed on May 12 on the acquisition of the Camp Chase Railroad; Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad; and Vermilion Valley Railroad. It had […]

Read More…

New BNSF intermodal service to link Port Houston with Dallas/Fort Worth and Denver

Locomotive and train of orange and yellow containers

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway will add service from the port of Houston to Alliance, Texas, and Denver next month. “As part of our continued commitment to adjusting to our customers’ and the marketplace’s needs to enable growth and the efficient movement of shipments, BNSF is expanding our network of lane offerings with new […]

Read More…

Union Pacific to consolidate Global 1 intermodal traffic at expanded, upgraded Global 2 terminal

Freight train on curve

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific will shift intermodal traffic from its Global 1 terminal in Chicago to the expanded Global 2 terminal in Northlake, Ill., effective June 19, the railroad said in a customer advisory on Monday. UP has invested more than $150 million in the expansion and upgrade of Global 2. Lift capacity has […]

Read More…

Registration opens for first courses at transportation organization’s North American Regional Training Center

Logo of the International Association of Public Transportation

NEWARK, N.J. — Registration has now opened for the first courses to be offered by the International Association of Public Transportation’s North American Regional Training Center. The training center is a partnership of the association, UITP; NJ Transit; and Rutgers University’s Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation, or CAIT, with classes to be held at […]

Read More…

News photos: Metro-North introduces heritage unit to mark 40th anniversary

Red, blue, and silver diesel locomotive in yard

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Metro-North Railroad has introduced the first of what it says will be up to five heritage locomotives to mark the commuter operation’s 40th anniversary. GE P32ACDM No. 208 has been vinyl wrapped in a silver, blue, and red design honoring the original paint scheme created in 1983 […]

Read More…