Weekly U.S. rail traffic back ahead of 2023 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic rebounded into positive territory compared to 2023 for the week ending Oct. 12, after falling below previous-year levels a week earlier. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, the week saw 505,033 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.6% from the same week in 2023. That included 222,003 […]

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Northern Central Railway names Krieg as operations manager

Woman in cab of steam locomotive

NEW FREEDOM, Pa. — Northern Central Railway of York, a non-profit tourist excursion line, has named Jennifer Krieg as superintendent operations manager. Krieg, who joined the railway as a fireman on the lines replica 1860s-era steam locomotive, will be responsible for overseeing and maintaining that locomotive, two diesels, and eight passenger cars. “I am excited […]

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CSX sees slight revenue gain, feels impacts of hurricanes

Town and rail line showing flood damage

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX faces more than $200 million in reconstruction costs as a result of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and the income impacts of the storms will be felt in both the third and fourth quarters, executives said during the company’s quarterly earnings call today (Wednesday, Oct. 16). Chief Financial Officer Sean Pelkey said […]

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Seventeen Amtrak employees resign over health care fraud investigation

Amtrak logo.

WASHINGTON — Seventeen Amtrak employees in the Northeast have resigned in connection with an investigation by Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General into alleged health care fraud. The employees who have resigned are based at New York Penn Station or an Amtrak base in New Jersey. They include two gang foremen, four linemen, three truck drivers, […]

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Carload Considerations: Freight railroads should take a lesson from NJ Transit

CSX train surrounded by fall foliage

NJ Transit recently hired a Customer Advocate — the actual title of the job. This individual is supposed to be solely responsible for representing customer interests, developing goals and objectives around those interests, cultivating relationships between the public — its customers — and the agency, and developing engagement plans that rely on customer feedback. It’s […]

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STB extends mediation for Union Pacific, Metra

Commuter trains meet on curve

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board on Tuesday, Oct. 15, granted Union Pacific a 30-day extension to the mediation period in its effort to reach an agreement with Chicago’s Metra regarding some financial aspects of an agreement to continue commuter rail service on three Metra routes on UP lines. The mediation period was to have […]

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Rail projects in Alaska, South Dakota, Wyoming receive federal funds

Logo for Federal Railroad Administration

WASHINGTON — Nine projects in Alaska, South Dakota, and Wyoming have received more than $108 million in federal funding under a program for states that do not have Amtrak passenger service or are not connected to the national rail network. Six of the projects are in South Dakota, two are in Alaska and one is […]

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Commuter rail systems along the Northeast Corridor

Electric train arriving at a station

In addition to Amtrak’s long-distance, regional, and high-speed Acela trains, the Northeast Corridor (NEC) hosts multiple commuter entities across different sections. From Boston to Washington D.C., find out where each of these services travel along this highly active main line. These are the commuter rail systems along the Northeast Corridor. It’s important to note that […]

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New York MTA sets first Open House meeting on five-year capital plan

TRN_Grand_Central_Lassen

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will hold the first of a series of Open House meetings on its 2025-29 Capital Plan next Monday, Oct. 21, at Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall. The open house, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., will feature posters, pamphlets, and videos explaining elements of the plan. MTA representatives […]

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CN imposes axle-count restriction on VIA’s Venture trainsets (corrected)

Passenger train on multi-track main line adjacent to highway

MONTREAL — Apparently triggered by one or more incidents in which a VIA Rail Canada Venture trainset failed to activate highway crossing warning devices, Canadian National is now requiring that all of VIA’s Venture-equipped trainsets operate with 32 axles. The edict came late Friday, at the beginning of Canada’s Thanksgiving Day holiday weekend. It also […]

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UP, Ferromex limit grain traffic into Mexico following derailment

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Union Pacific and Mexican partner Ferromex have suspended permits for grain shuttles as a result of a derailment in Mexico, UP said in a notice to customers issued Saturday, Oct. 12. The suspension of permits for two active Ferromex embargos reflects “the high volume of ag unit trains in the pipeline […]

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San Diego agency asks STB to dismiss case over long-running fight on Del Mar bluffs

People jumping off rail linee as train approaches

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — San Diego’s North County Transit District will abandon its original plans to build safety fencing along the Del Mar bluffs under a settlement reached last month with the California Coastal Commission, and as a result will end its long-running case before the Surface Transportation Board regarding the fence and bluff-stablization work. […]

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