WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on the April 26 derailment of a BNSF Railway train near the Arizona-New Mexico state line — an incident that led to a breach of tank cars carrying propane and fire that closed Interstate 40. No one was injured in the incident. Interstate […]
WASHINGTON — A communication breakdown over granting permission for a train movement into the yard, as well as regarding placement of a portable derail device, was the probable cause of the August 2022 fatality of a Union Pacific conductor at a yard in El Paso, Texas, the National Transportation Safety Board determined in its final […]
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City says it’s unlikely that its engineers, conductors, and rail traffic controllers in Canada can strike or be locked out within the next 60 days. CPKC and Canadian National are conducting separate negotiations with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, whose members authorized a strike that could have begun on […]
BOSTON — Recent work on the Red Line eliminated another 13 speed restrictions, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says, as work continues on its year-long effort to address the backlog of slow orders on its rapid-transit network. The work saw the rail line shut down between the Park Street and JFK/UMass stations between May 2-10, […]
CHICAGO — Commuter rail operator Metra will offer free rides on the weekend of June 8-9, concluding a week of activities to mark its 40th anniversary. The agency dates its birth from June 8, 1984, when the first meeting was held of the Regional Transportation Authority’s Commuter Rail Division. The Metra name was adopted a […]
The recent shortage of Amtrak long-distance sleeper cars has hoisted the venerable, but rapidly aging, Superliner equipment into the spotlight again. You can read more about past and present Superliner woes in the article, “Superliner capacity not a new issue”, appearing in the July 2024 issue of Trains magazine. But first, catch a glimpse of […]
BOSTON — The union representing coach cleaners and car inspectors for MBTA commuter rail service have reached a tentative contract agreement including a significant raise and paid sick leave for the first time. Transportation Workers Union Local 2054 reached agreement with Keolis, contract operator of the MBTA commuter system, last week following a 10-hour negotiating […]
Canadian Pacific Kansas City expects to see continued international and cross-border intermodal growth across its network thanks to a combination of ample port capacity and the railway’s ability to tap new markets, CEO Keith Creel says. On the international side, the ports of Vancouver, British Columbia; Saint John, New Brunswick; and Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, each […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway has had to suspend operations in portions of British Columbia and Alberta because of wildfires, Reuters reports. Affected are the railroad’s northernmost route in British Columbia, the 250-mile Fort Nelson Subdivision between Fort St. John (approximately 175 miles northeast of Prince George) and Fort Nelson; and the Meander River Subdivision […]
PITTSBURGH — Two cars of a Pittsburgh Regional Transit Red Line light rail train derailed Monday afternoon, causing no injuries but leading to significant service delays. The transit agency reported on social media site X that about 15 people were on aboard at the time of the 4 p.m. derailment at Willow Station in the […]
KEARNY, N.J. — The Portal North Bridge, the structure replacing the 114-year swing bridge that has long been an issue for Northeast Corridor rail operations, has reached 50% completion, NJ Transit and Amtrak announced on Monday. The current bridge over the Hackensack River and frequently fails to lock back into place after it is opened, […]
CHICAGO — Metra will add a late-night train in each direction as part of updated schedules on the Milwaukee District North line effective June 3, the commuter operator has announced. The new schedules will adjust train times and stopping patterns “to more accurately reflect current operating conditions,” Metra said in a press release. Arrivals and […]
