NEW YORK — The Quantum intermodal service that BNSF Railway and J.B. Hunt launched in November — specifically aimed at loads that have never touched rails before — is providing 99% door-to-door on-time performance and is gaining volume, executives said today. “This is true highway conversion. It’s not intended to be a different service level […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — It was 43 years in the making, but the Chicago-Twin Cities corridor finally has a second Amtrak passenger train. In ceremonies in Chicago, St. Paul and intermediate points today, Amtrak and state, local, and federal official marked the first run of the Borealis, new daily service between Chicago Union Station and […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX’s latest heritage locomotive honors Seaboard Coast Line. “Excited to share with you all our latest CSX Heritage Locomotive #1967 – the Seaboard Coast Line (SCL). Established in 1967, the Seaboard Coast Line railroad was a result of the merger of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad,” […]
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway has asked federal regulators to dismiss a common-carrier complaint that a Missouri-based utility has filed regarding the railroad’s service to a pair of its coal-fired power plants in 2022. Kansas City-based Evergy told the Surface Transportation Board that BNSF provided inadequate service to its Iatan Generating Station near Iatan, Mo., and […]
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. — Michael J. Donfris has been named chief financial officer at railcar manufacturer and leasing firm The Greenbrier Companies, Greenbrier has announced. Donfris comes from R.J. Corman Railroad Group, where he has been COF since 2020. He will initially be senior vice president, finance, and will become CFO and principal financial officer […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — North American Rail Solutions subsidiary American Track has acquired Strategic Rail, LLC, of Tomahawk, Wis. The combined companies will continue as American Track. Strategic Rail, established in 2005 by Dianna and Travis Gustafson, provides services including grapple truck operations, material handling, railcar movement, and vegetation control. Its strength in the Great […]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — R.J. Corman’s Western Ohio Lines has received a $1.23 million grant from the Ohio Rail Development Commission for rehabilitation of its Greenville and Spencerville-Elgin lines, the commission has announced. Total cost of the work on the two lines is estimated at more than $2.4 million. On the 12-mile Greenville line, the grant […]
ROHTAK, India — Wabtec Corp. on Monday opened a new manufacturing facility in India, which initially will produce components and subsystems for rail transit and will expand to include other Wabtec products in the future. The 10,000-square-meter (32,800-square-foot) facility will produce axle-mounted disc brake systems, distributor valuves, brake calipers, and actuators, as well as material […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX’s Pride in Service initiative was awarded Gold in Engage for Good’s 22nd Annual Halo Awards for Best Employee Engagement Initiative and Silver for Best Direct Service Initiative. The honor recognizes CSX’s partnership and support for Wounded Warrior Project’s drone training program. The program provides veterans with initial training to become certified […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration today announced final rules that will require railroads to develop certification and training programs for train dispatchers and signal employees. Unlike with conductors and locomotive engineers, there previously have been no federal regulations mandating specific training requirements, safety and knowledge checks, and verification of safety records for dispatchers and […]
Well, I put a bee in Jim Vena’s bonnet when I wrote that railroads should thank the Federal Railroad Administration for its new two-person train crew rule. The thrust of that column last month: Service would suffer if the Class I railroads were to go to engineer-only operation because of delays related to having ground-based […]
KARRATHA, Western Australia — Rio Tinto has fully reopened its mining railroad in Western Australia’s Pilbara region after the collision last week involving two autonomous trains, with the Australian Financial Review reporting the mining company has suspended a procedure known as “on-site override” while investigation into the incident continues. One line of the two-track main […]
