Connecticut approves $1.1 billion in transportation bond funding

Amtrak high speed train meets Metro-North electric multiple-unit trainset

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut has approved more than $1.1 billion in state bond funding for transportation projects, Gov. Ned Lamont has announced. Funds will help meet matching requirements for federal money available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which could help the state land more than $2.5 billion in federal funding. “The $1.1 billion in state […]

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Colorado considering legislation to limit train lengths, introduce other regulations

Freight train with three locomotives under dark clouds

DENVER — A Colorado legislative committee has advanced a bill that would limit train lengths within the state and draws other elements from the federal Railway Safety Act, which has failed to pass Congress, the website Colorado Newsline reports. If approved by the Transportation Legislation Review Committee, the bill will be introduced in the state’s […]

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Engineers’ union backs sale of Cincinnati Southern to Norfolk Southern

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Ohio State Legislative Board is backing the proposed sale of municipally owned Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern. The board’s executive committee announced on Friday that it voted unanimously to back the $1.6 billion sale, which will go before Cincinnati voters on Nov. 7. Norfolk […]

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California governor signs legislation requiring LOSSAN agency to assess impact of climate change on rail route

Amtrak passenger train moves along tracks on coastal bluff in light fog.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation requiring the organization overseeing Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner trains to assess the effects of climate change on its operations as part of its annual business plan. SB677, introduced by state Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas), requires the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency to identify projects to increase resiliency […]

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News photo: NJ Transit’s latest heritage locomotive

Black and yellow diesel locomotive

NJ Transit has unveiled its latest heritage unit, painted for the Erie Railroad, one of its commuter-rail predecessors. The commuter operator released the photo of GP40PH-2B No. 4210 this weekend in Erie’s black-and-gold paint scheme, noting the railroad “held a large presence in the North Jersey commuter rail scene” and operated on what are now […]

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Canadian National releases Winter Plan

Document cover with aerial photo of train operating through forest in snow

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway has released its 2023-24 Winter Plan, a document required by the Canadian Transportation Act in which the railroad details plans for operations during the winter months. “The plan serves as our compass, providing clear direction and objectives,” CEO Tracy Robinson says in an introductory statement. “It will enable us to […]

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Three groups receive funds for exhibits about Bismarck bridge

Train coming off bridge on broad curve

  BISMARCK, N.D. — Three organizations have received a total of more than $250,000 to fund historical exhibits about the Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge, KFYR-TV reports. BNSF Railway is providing funding through the State Historical Society for the exhibits under an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard. The North Dakota State Railroad Museum in Mandan will […]

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Union Pacific issues Request for Qualifications for part of CREATE’s 75th Street project

Diagram showing rail projects in South Chicago

CHICAGO — Union Pacific has issued a Request for Qualifications for property acquisition services for a portion of the CREATE Program’s 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project to be overseen by UP. The property acquisition will be part of Project EW2, the Belt Junction and 80th Street Junction realignments, between Ashland Avenue and the Dan Ryan […]

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Metra EMD F40C diesel locomotives

Blue, white, and silver EMD F40C diesel locomotives with red nose stripes

  EMD F40C diesel locomotives were six-axle, 3,200-hp units built for Chicago-area commuter service in 1974. They were found on two Milwaukee Road-operated routes out of Union Station, one west to Elgin and one north to Fox Lake. The units had a cowl body like the Amtrak SDP40F of 1973, but used an alternator to […]

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Canadian government announces agreements to allow work to begin on Lac-Mégantic bypass

Map of Lac-Megantic Bypass

LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — Two key agreements to allow work to begin on the bypass to reroute rail traffic out of downtown Lac-Mégantic have been signed, Canadian Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez said Friday, setting the stage for the first work to move forward more than a decade after the derailment and fire that killed 47 people. […]

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Amtrak runs specials to mark CPKC performance

Passenger train with locomotive, three bilevel cars, and single-level car.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Amtrak is operating two days of trips along CPKC’s former Milwaukee Road River Subdivision in Minnesota to recognize the company as Amtrak’s best performing Class I railroad in 2022. The trains make a round trip from St. Paul Union Depot to La Crescent, Minn., where they are turned on the wye […]

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Broken rail led to 2019 Canadian Pacific oil train derailment and fire, TSB says

Plume of black smoke rising from fire at oil-train derailment

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — A broken rail led to a December 2019 derailment and fire involving a Canadian Pacific crude oil train near Guernsey, Saskatchewan, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in a report released Thursday. The incident, along with another derailment in the same area about two months later, led to changes in Canadian […]

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