Cleanup continues after derailment in U.S.-Canada rail tunnel

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PORT HURON, Mich. — Cleanup continues after a Friday derailment in the St. Clair River tunnel connecting the U.S. and Canada, which resulted in a spill of more than 13,000 gallons of sulfuric acid. The Port Huron Times Herald reported Saturday afternoon crews were preparing to pump out the spilled acid after removing other cars […]

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Former CSX executive, Transportation department official takes No. 2 post at FRA NEWSWIRE

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FRA Deputy Administrator Quintin Kendall Federal Railroad Administration website WASHINGTON — Quintin Kendall is now the deputy administrator for the Federal Railroad Administration. An FRA representative alerted media to the appointment in a late Thursday email notice. Before assuming the No. 2 spot at FRA, Kendall was CSX Transportation’s vice president for government and community […]

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Norfolk Southern PSR-based merchandise network changes begin Friday NEWSWIRE

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NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern will begin rolling out its new TOP21 operating plan on Friday. “The first phase of train plan changes in TOP21 predominantly affects the merchandise service,” NS says in a service alert. “While these changes are not expected to result in service disruptions, NS will have an internal command center in […]

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AAR: Carload and intermodal traffic down for the week of June 22 NEWSWIRE

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Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 22. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 525,116 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.8% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending June 22 were 257,836 […]

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Impact of Precision Scheduled Railroading shows up in Class I employment figures NEWSWIRE

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Surface Transportation Board data Employment at U.S. Class I railroads has fallen 4% since February 2017, the month before E. Hunter Harrison began implementing Precision Scheduled Railroading at CSX Transportation. Harrison’s efficiency-driven operating model has since spread to Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, and Kansas City Southern, making additional workforce reductions likely through the end of […]

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Rail industry feeling impact of trade war with China NEWSWIRE

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A Union Pacific container train leaves the Port of Los Angeles in March 2016. The port’s executive director says tariffs on Chinese goods will affect 64% of container volume at the port. TRAINS: David Lassen A westbound BNSF intermodal train passes through Hinsdale, Ill., on June 22, 2019. BNSF and UP have reported lower container […]

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FRA’s Batory testifies before Congress on crew sizes, PSR, and Positive Train Control NEWSWIRE

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Train length is an issue that Congress is interested in. These Union Pacific trains are meeting at Nunn, Colo. Trains: Jim Wrinn WASHINGTON — During an at times testy hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday, congress members peppered Federal Railroad Administration administrator Ron Batory about Precision Scheduled Railroading, Positive Train Control, and the recently dismissed crew […]

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AAR: Overall carload and intermodal traffic down more than 5% for the week of June 15 NEWSWIRE

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Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 15. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 527,989 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.4 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending June 15 were […]

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Oregon House passes oil-train legislation NEWSWIRE

ALBANY, Ore. — The Oregon House of Representatives has passed a bill to increase the state’s readiness for oil-train derailments, years after neighboring states passed similar legislation, the Oregonian reports. The bill allows the state to charge up to $20 on each oil tank car entering or loaded in the state, plus a small fee […]

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Wasatch Railroad Contractors celebrates 20th anniversary

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Cheyenne, Wyo. – Wasatch Railroad Contractors is marking 20 years of service in 2019. “Twenty Years! It is so hard to believe,” Chairman and CEO John Rimmasch says. “You watch other companies celebrate the same milestone and wonder if you will ever make it, but here we are! From our humble beginnings serving the amusement […]

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Four railroads combine to offer interline intermodal service to Central Florida NEWSWIRE

Union Pacific, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, and Florida East Coast have launched interline domestic intermodal service connecting California, Dallas, and Chicago with central Florida. The service, which launched today, uses the FEC terminal in Titusville, Fla., about 40 miles east of Orlando, Fla. UP handles both private and EMP containers between its terminals in […]

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AAR: Most commodities still posting losses for the week of June 8 NEWSWIRE

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Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 8. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 513,099 carloads and intermodal units, down 8.5% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending June 8 were 246,758 […]

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