Adirondack to be cancelled in northern New York State, Canada for more than a month: News and analysis

Passenger train viewed from pedestrian overpass

ALBANY, N.Y. — Amtrak’s Adirondack will be cancelled north of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. between May 20 and June 29, passengers already ticketed on the New York City-Montreal train were informed this week. Anyone trying to book a reservation for those dates on Amtrak’s website receives the message, “We do not have any services between the […]

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BNSF bridge at Fort Madison, Iowa, reopens after barge strike

Train with orange locomotives rounds curve

FORT MADISON, Iowa — BNSF Railway’s bridge across the Mississippi River between Fort Madison and Niota, Ill., was briefly closed today after having been struck by a barge, but has been reopened, according to authorities. The Hancock County (Ill.) Sheriff’s Office reported the closure at about 1:40 p.m.; police in Fort Madison posted on Facebook […]

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Maersk begins planning for possible Canadian rail strike

Logo for container shipping company Maersk

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Shipping and logistics company Maersk has begun developing contingency plans for a possible strike by Canadian National and CPKC crews in Canada, including having ships call at Tacoma, Wash., rather than Vancouver, British Columbia. In a customer advisory, Maersk said it is working with CN, CPKC, and terminal operator DP world to […]

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Santa Barbara agency asks for agreement for launch of Metrolink service

Amtrak_Metrolink_Lassen

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The board of directors of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments has directed its staff to prepare a formal agreement for commuter rail service between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, following a meeting of the organization on Wednesday, KEYT-TV reports. The proposal would add an early-morning Metrolink trip for commuters […]

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Sparks from locomotive likely caused fire on CPKC train in Ontario, TSB says

Night scene with five gondola cars on fire.

LONDON, Ontario — Sparks from a CPKC locomotive’s exhaust likely triggered the fire that sent burning railcars through downtown London in April, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has concluded. The CBC reports that the TSB has ended its investigation into the incident based on that conclusion, saying in a statement that “there is nothing that […]

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Improperly lined switch led to CSX collision in Folkston, Ga., according to preliminary NTSB report

Locomotive and badly damaged railcar

WASHINGTON — An improperly aligned switch during maintenance work that had signal operation suspended led to the collision of two CSX trains in Folkston, Ga., on April 15, according to the preliminary report on the incident released today (May 8) by the National Transportation Safety Board. Three crew members were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening […]

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Union Pacific CEO advocates seamless border operations at Mexico gateways

CHICAGO — Freight train operations across the U.S.-Mexican border should be as seamless as they are across the U.S.-Canadian border, Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena told a shipper group last week. Cross-border trains entering the U.S. from Canada use Canadian crews to reach the nearest rail yard — and vice versa. “I never used to […]

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News photo: Preparing for the Borealis

Passenger train next to lake under dramatic dark clouds

LAKE CITY, Minn. — Gearing up for the May 21 launch of the Chicago-St. Paul Borealis, Amtrak ran a special test train between the two cities on Tuesday, May 7, using the planned Horizon and Amfleet equipment and operating on the train’s schedule. The trip included all scheduled stops. The special is shown here in […]

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Efforts advance to extend Metrolink service into Santa Barbara County

Commuter train with white locomotive emerges from tunnel

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Efforts to extend Metrolink commuter rail service into Santa Barbara County are gaining ground, the online news site Noozhawk reports. A committee of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments is set to discuss a one-year pilot program to extend service from Ventura County to Santa Barbara and Goleta, Calif., today […]

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Transtar’s East Ohio Valley Railway to grow

Map of East Ohio Valley Railway

PITTSBURGH — East Ohio Valley Railway, one of the seven railroads of Transtar LLC, will more than double its operating mileage through a long-term lease of rail lines in the Powhatan Point, Ohio, area, Transtar has announced. The East Ohio Valley, currently 12.2 miles, will add a total of 18 miles through lease from Norfolk […]

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California locomotive emission rules threaten BNSF’s proposed Barstow terminal

CHICAGO — BNSF Railway would have to reconsider its plans to build the $1.5 billion Barstow International Gateway if California’s zero-emissions locomotive mandate is allowed to move forward, CEO Katie Farmer says. The California Air Resources Board’s in-use locomotive rule went into effect on Jan. 1. It bans the operation of any locomotive that is […]

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Metra to open new station in Chicago, add UP North trains May 20

Illustration of new commuter station

CHICAGO — Metra will open its newest station, and expand service on its Union Pacific North Line — which includes that station, Peterson/Ridge — on Monday, May 20, the commuter rail operator has announced. Peterson/Ridge is in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. Groundbreaking was held in November 2021, on what at the time was projected to be […]

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