MIAMI — CSX Transportation’s capital spending is perfectly in line with the railroad’s current maintenance and growth needs, CEO Jim Foote says. The railroad will spend about $1.6 billion this year to maintain its network and embark on a handful of modest intermodal terminal expansion projects, down from $2.7 billion in 2016 — about a […]
The New Mexico state legislature is considering an amendment to Section 63-2-2 of NMSA 1978, which would require two-man crews to operate freight trains. The amendment “HB 244” would require two crew members to be in the cab during operations of freight trains with the exception of hostling and remote-control locomotives in railyards. During a […]
Canadian National power leads a westbound empty oil unit train through River Forest, Ill., on the Union Pacific on Aug. 25, 2018. TRAINS: David Lassen EDMONTON, Alberta — The government of Alberta has reached a $3.7-billion deal with Canadian National and Canadian Pacific to haul landlocked crude oil out of the province. The government will […]
Harsh winter weather — from extreme cold in the Midwest and Canada to record-breaking snowfall in the Pacific Northwest and flooding along the Mississippi River — is a major culprit in the decline of rail traffic this year, executives said this week. Rail traffic in North America had a strong final three months of 2018, […]
Association of American Railroads Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Feb. 16. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 523,915 carloads and intermodal units, down 3 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week […]
Jim Squires, NS CEO Norfolk Southern NORFOLK, Va. — It would be an understatement to say that Norfolk Southern’s views on Precision Scheduled Railroading have evolved. In November 2015, Jim Squires had been chief executive for barely six months when the wolf — dressed as Canadian Pacific CEO E. Hunter Harrison — came banging on […]
WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration has issued to Congress the first National Strategy to Prevent Trespassing on Railroad Property. The report examines the causal factors that contribute to trespassing incidents on railroad property, and responds to a U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations request. “Almost every trespasser death or injury is preventable and […]
Kansas City Southern MIAMI — Kansas City Southern will stay true to its roots amid implementation of Precision Scheduled Railroading, a term that CEO Patrick Ottensmeyer says often raises concerns among employees, customers, and regulators alike. “There’s nothing about the way we’re going to move forward that is inconsistent with our values and culture,” Ottensmeyer […]
A track-level platform at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport station near Baltimore enables the use of the middle track, at bottom, for passenger boarding and detraining. Note the yellow step box behind the railing, for use with the lower platforms. Brian Schmidt Q I live near Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and see short track-level platform extensions at […]
Association of American Railroads Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads on Wednesday reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Feb. 9. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 519,779 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.1 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the […]
The Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors approved closing the Bull Run Fossil Plant at Oak Ridge, Tenn., and the Paradise Fossil Plant Unit 3 in Western Kentucky on Feb. 14, 2019. Chattanooga, TENN. — A major Tennessee utility provider has approved closing two rail-served, coal-fired power plants, alluding to a changing landscape in electricity […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway today announced its 2019 capital investment plan of $3.57 billion. The emphasis of this year’s capital plan continues to be on maintaining and expanding its network with an unwavering focus on operating a safe railroad that meets customers’ demands. “Our rail network is in excellent shape and its condition […]
