Norfolk Southern names CPKC executive John Orr as chief operating officer (updated)

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern today named Canadian Pacific Kansas City executive John Orr as its chief operating officer in a bid to thwart an activist investor group led by Ancora Holdings. CEO Alan Shaw said Orr is committed to providing customers with a high level of service as part of the railroad’s resiliency-based growth plan. […]

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Cathcart Rail plans expansion of Kansas City facilities

Logo of Cathcart Rail

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Freight rail company Cathcart Rail is set for a two-phase expansion, valued at more than $10 million, of its railcar repair facility, the Economic Development Corp. of Kansas City, Mo., has announced. Plans call for Cathcart to renovate its and expand its existing facility at 7750 Wilson Ave., near the Missouri […]

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Norfolk Southern to name new chief operating officer amid proxy battle

Norfolk Southern logo

ATLANTA — Amid a proxy fight with an activist investor, Norfolk Southern on Wednesday will name Canadian Pacific Kansas City executive John Orr as its chief operating officer, Trains News Wire has learned. Orr brings a Precision Scheduled Railroading operations background — which is prized on Wall Street — to Norfolk Southern as the company […]

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Tristan Armstrong named as Rocky Mountaineer CEO

A Rocky Mountaineer train

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Tristan Armstrong, son of founder Peter Armstrong, has been named as the new CEO of luxury tour train company Rocky Mountaineer. The younger Armstrong has served on the board of the family-owned company since 2016 and has previously worked in several operations and guest experience roles for Rocky Mountaineer. He is […]

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Randall named as new CEO of FreightCar America

Logo of FreightCar America

CHICAGO — Railcar manufacturer FreightCar America Inc. has announced Nicholas J. Randall will be promoted from chief operating officer to president and CEO, effective May 1. Randall will succeed James R. Meyer, who will become executive chairman of the company’s board of directors. The current board chairman, William D. Gehl, will remain on the board and […]

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Homendy to be nominated to continue as NTSB chair

Woman in NTSB jacket at microphone

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will nominate Jennifer Homendy to serve another term as chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, the White House announced last week. Homendy has served on the board since 2018 and has been its chair since Aug. 13, 2021, when she became the 15th chair since the agency’s creation in […]

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Railroading’s new proving ground: The MxV Rail FAST test track loop

PUEBLO, Colo. — For a guy who goes around in circles at work every day, MxV Rail locomotive engineer Mike Walfoort sure gets a lot done. At the beginning of each 10-hour shift he climbs aboard an SD70M that’s on the point of a 114-car train of surplus coal gondolas. He slowly notches the throttle […]

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Draft report: CSX and CPKC acquisition of G&W short line would have no environmental impacts

WASHINGTON — CSX and CPKC’s proposed acquisition of Genesee & Wyoming short line Meridian & Bigbee will have no significant environmental impacts, federal regulators said in a draft environmental assessment released today. The Class I railroads aim to link their systems — and create a new through route connecting the Southeast with Texas and Mexico […]

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Five forgotten locomotives no one wanted

Orange and blue streamlined diesel locomotive with freight train under bridge

Five forgotten locomotives no one wanted: Producing a locomotive is a massive endeavor. From design to testing to production, each model is the summation of thousands of hours of labor from dedicated engineers, builders, and everyone in between. However, in spite of the scale of this undertaking, sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Maybe the […]

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Cincinnati Southern sale completed

Map of rail line from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Chattanooga, Tenn.

CINCINNATI — The city of Cincinnati’s sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern has been completed. Paul Muething, president of the Cincinnati Southern board of trustees, said in a statement available on the railway website that the board received the $1.6 billion payment from NS, plus $20 million in deferred transaction fees, on […]

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Gulf Coast impasse at Mobile remains unresolved: Analysis

Sign for Sunset Limited at Mobile, Ala., station

WASHINGTON — Parties in the settlement intended to lead to the start of Gulf Coast passenger service said in a status report to the Surface Transportation Board that negotiations between Amtrak and the city of Mobile for a lease of downtown city land “are continuing to move forward.” The report filed Friday by Amtrak, Norfolk […]

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Norfolk Southern adds communications, compliance officers

Norfolk Southern logo

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has named Betsy Talton-Buck as vice president and chief communications officer, and Angie Kolar as vice president and chief compliance officer. The appointments, announced Friday, March 15, are effective on Tuesday, April 9. Both positions report to Nabanita Nag, executive vice president, corporate affairs and chief legal officer. Talton-Buck was previously […]

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