BNSF and Montana Rail Link reach trackage rights deal for branch lines

A blue Montana Rail Link train works alongside a river with mountains in the background.

WASHINGTON – BNSF Railway and Montana Rail Link have reached a trackage rights agreement that will permit BNSF to operate three of the regional railroad’s branch lines. BNSF in March won Surface Transportation Board approval to resume operation of lines it leased to MRL in 1987. The branch lines that MRL acquired from Burlington Northern, […]

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Powder River Basin coal company files common carrier complaint against BNSF Railway

Two rows of coal hoppers

WASHINGTON – Navajo Transitional Energy Co. says BNSF Railway has violated its common carrier obligations by failing to provide adequate service for its Powder River Basin export coal trains. NTEC, in a complaint filed with the Surface Transportation Board on Friday, says BNSF has failed to provide adequate service from the Spring Creek Mine in […]

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BNSF and Norfolk Southern reach sick time agreements with two unions

BNSF Railway and Norfolk Southern have reached paid sick time agreements with two more of the unions representing their employees. BNSF and the International Brotherhood of Railway Carmen reached their agreement as part of larger ongoing discussions about modernizing the work environment, the railway said on Monday. Building upon existing BNSF paid time off and […]

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National Steel Car: Steel coil car wheelsets didn’t play role in Norfolk Southern derailment

New coil steel car

HAMILTON, Ontario – It turns out that the railroad industry’s emergency advisory sidelining 675 new steel coil cars with suspect wheelsets was a false alarm. In the wake of a March 4 Norfolk Southern derailment in Springfield, Ohio, the Association of American Railroads issued an equipment advisory recommending that the cars, built by National Steel […]

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CPKC unveils new logo on first day as a merged system

Canadian Pacific Kansas City, the first railroad to link Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, made its debut today and unveiled its new logo and website. Officials from Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern will celebrate the historic merger at a final spike ceremony scheduled for 10 a.m. today at Knoche Yard in Kansas City, Mo., […]

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More Midwest Venture cars enter service; California still waits

Train with four matching Siemens Venture passenger cars

Second of two parts CHICAGO — The introduction of Venture business/coach cars on some state-supported Amtrak routes in the Midwest reflects an increase in availability of the Siemens-built equipment, delayed by a variety of production and acceptance issues. Meanwhile, there is still no firm date for the introduction of California’s Venture equipment, although a spokesman […]

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MBTA trains had four near-miss incidents with track workers in a month

Maintenance workers watch train pass in subway tunnel

BOSTON — The new general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority received a sampling of the safety issues that have plagued the transit agency on Thursday, taking part in a meeting that revealed four incidents in the last month in which track workers were nearly struck by subway trains. CommonWealth Magazine reports General Manager […]

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PATH to begin use of new railcars

Rapid-transit car with blue paint on front end

HOBOKEN, N.J. — The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will begin operating the first of its 72 new PATH rail cars next week, the agency announced Thursday, and showed off some of the new cars. The Kawasaki-built cars, completed at a facility in Yonkers, N.Y., are being added to an existing 350-car […]

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R.J. Corman’s Broyles named vice chair of ASLRRA executive board

Man in coat and tie

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — Justin Broyles, executive vice president, commercial affairs for the R.J. Corman Railroad Group, has been appointed vice chairman of the executive board for the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. Broyles will serve a three-year term while also continue to serve as vice president of the ASLRRA’s Eastern Region and will […]

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Behind the scenes with Stephen Low

man behind IMAX camera

Stephen Low, IMAX filmmaker With big diesels, beautiful landscapes, and unique camera shots, the documentary Train Time takes the IMAX audience on an adventure from the crew’s point of view. Those working behind the scenes of the BNSF Railway openly share their triumphs and struggles as they battle brutal weather-related conditions, unforeseen delays, and much […]

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Chemical shippers say rail service remains mired below pre-pandemic levels

Yellow locomotives on train of tank cars

WASHINGTON — Most chemical shippers say railroad service has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to a survey released today by the American Chemistry Council. Some 77% of ACC members surveyed said rail service was worse in January than it was in early 2020 before the pandemic hit. Some 22% said service had returned […]

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Cimarron Valley Railroad marks start of $15 million upgrade project

Woman and two men in high-visibility safety vests with locomotive in background

HUGOTON, Kan. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and other officials were on hand Wednesday for groundbreaking ceremonies to mark the beginning of $15 million in improvements for the Cimarron Valley Railroad. KSCB Radio reports funding includes money from private sources, from the federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, or CRISI, grant program, and from […]

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