Ukrainian Railways (UZ or Ukrzaliznytsia) and rail operators in neighboring European countries are stepping up efforts to move thousands of tons of grain from Ukraine to ports in Poland, Romania, and Germany for export around the world. The increase in rail transport has followed Russia’s decision to end a deal, previously brokered by the United […]
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons will sign legislation this week including $50 million in funding for grade-crossing improvements, and will announce a crossing safety plan with the Missouri Department of Transportation, WDAF-TV reports. Parsons will sign House Bill 4, an appropriations bill governing the Department of Revenue and Department of Transportation passed […]
MONTREAL — Martin Imbleau, CEO of the Montreal Port Authority, has been named as the first CEO of VIA HFR, the VIA Rail Canada project office for the construction of the passenger-only High Frequency Rail corridor between Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City. VIA HFR, which operates as an “arms-length” affiliate of VIA Rail to co-manage […]
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has named William Thomas (Tom) McMurry Jr. as its general counsel and Barbara A. Czech as director of the Office of Research and Engineering, the board announced Monday. McMurry was previously deputy general counsel for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and chief counsel and deputy chief counsel […]
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board today released its preliminary report about a Norfolk Southern coal train that derailed in Virginia on July 6 after a wheel bearing failure. The railroad’s response to hot bearing alerts has been under scrutiny since the disastrous Feb. 3 hazardous materials wreck in East Palestine, Ohio. In this […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Incoming Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena will not get a honeymoon with rail labor when he begins leading the railroad on Aug. 14. Local SMART-TD leaders and the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO were critical of the company’s selection of Vena, who served as UP’s chief operating officer in 2019 and […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation’s conductor trainees will spend an additional week learning the ropes before beginning on-the-job training under an agreement announced today by the railroad and the SMART-TD union. The fifth week of training at the CSX Training Center in Atlanta will focus on performing tasks in a field setting to increase trainees’ […]
WELLAND, Ontario — A Canadian National “funeral train” of 18 Dash 8 locomotives, part of an auction and sale in June 2023, arrived in Welland, Ont, on July 29, concluding a trip from Iowa. The locomotives will be handed off to the GIO Rail Trillium operation, which will deliver them to SLM Recycling of Welland. […]
DENVER — Colorado opponents of the oil-train traffic expected to be generated by the Uinta Basin Railway may attempt to use Union Pacific’s soon-to-expire lease on the Moffat Tunnel as leverage in their effort to fight the Utah project, the website Colorado Newsline reports. The 99-year lease UP inherited in its merger with Southern Pacific […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Canadian government is prepared to impose a settlement in the labor dispute at British Columbia ports after dock workers again rejected a tentative deal on Friday night. Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan wrote in a statement today (July 29) that he has directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to determine whether […]
LONDON — British government proposals to potentially close ticket counters at all railway stations in England have led to widespread opposition, with a nationwide consultation exercise extended to Sept. 1 following protests and threats of legal action. The opposition has come from most politicians, trades unions, and — unusually — almost the entire news media, […]
OAK BROOK, Ill. — Hub Group is expanding its intermodal service to include inbound parts moves to all auto assembly plants in North America, with a focus on cross-border shipments to and from Mexico. “We are extremely excited about the growth opportunity we have unlocked with our partner, Union Pacific, in the north-south corridor between […]
