CN joins UP and Ferromex for new cross-border intermodal service

Intermodal train with one red and black locomotive on curve

MONTREAL — Canadian National, Union Pacific, and Ferromex will launch new intermodal service next month linking Canada and Detroit with Mexico, the railroads announced today (Monday, April 24). The Falcon Premium service will connect a dozen CN terminals with the Ferromex terminals in Monterrey and Silao via the Eagle Pass, Texas, gateway. CN and UP […]

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Management incentives at CSX, NS, and UP shift toward service and growth

Train passing grain facility

The publicly traded U.S. Class I railroads are putting more of an emphasis on service and volume growth in the annual incentive plans they offer to their executives. It’s a clear sign, analysts say, that the railroads are shifting into growth mode after years spent concentrating on reducing their operating ratios in a quest for […]

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NTSB issues report on 2021 maintenance worker fatality in Texas

Rail-mounted treaded-tractor with boom attachment

WASHINGTON — The use of a piece of maintenance-of-way equipment to move steel grating panels, with an attachment not designed for that purpose, was the probable cause of a September 2021 fatality involving a contract worker on the Union Pacific near Castroville, Texas, according to a National Transportation Safety Board accident report issued Thursday. The […]

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Derailments down on Union Pacific despite use of longer trains

OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific’s reportable train derailment rate improved 10% during the first quarter, executives said today while defending the safety record of long trains. “We continue to make great strides on safety,” Eric Gehringer, executive vice president of operations, told investors and analysts on the railroad’s earnings call on Thursday. UP’s goal remains […]

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Union Pacific profits flat despite impact of harsh weather, volume decline

OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific’s net profit was flat in a first quarter marked by severe weather and a slowing economy that combined to drive traffic volumes lower. “The story of the past quarter for Union Pacific is one of resiliency,” CEO Lance Fritz told investors and analysts on the railroad’s earnings call on Thursday […]

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Amtrak to regulators: Ongoing tardiness of Sunset Limited demands urgent probe

Passenger train stopped at station platform under blue skies

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has urged federal regulators to investigate the ongoing tardiness of the Sunset Limited, saying the train’s on-time performance this year falls well short of minimum standards. The filing this week with the Surface Transportation Board does not mention Union Pacific, which handles the Sunset over nearly all of the train’s route between […]

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Union Pacific raises berm at Great Salt Lake

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

SALT LAKE CITY — The Union Pacific Railroad has raised the causeway berm breach that carries its track across the Great Salt Lake at the request of the State of Utah. More than 10 million birds representing 338 bird species migrate to Salt Lake City annually from South America, Russia, and Mexico, attracted by the […]

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The Lionel SD40T-2 ‘Tunnel Motor’

Front pilot details on the Southern Pacific Lionel SD40T-2 Tunnel Motor

The Lionel SD40T-2 ‘Tunnel Motor’ is now on the rails. For those of us with a few SD40s and SD40-2s in our collections, this model provides a great variation and a touch of color in a consist. It’s safe to say these are popular engines with hobbyists. Lionel offered the SD40T-2 in its 2022 Volume […]

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Two injured as UP freight in Texas hits parked train

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

CHICO, Texas — Two crew members were injured Sunday evening when a Union Pacific train struck another train parked on a siding north of Fort Worth, WFAA-TV reports. The collision occurred about 7 p.m. in Chico, about 45 miles north of Fort Worth on UP’s Duncan Subdivision, and involved a southbound train. Three locomotives and […]

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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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Labor leaders welcome FRA’s train makeup safety advisory, while railroads emphasize their train-building tools and techniques

Aerial view of derailed boxcars and auto rack

Rail labor leaders welcomed the safety advisory that the Federal Railroad Administration issued last week that encourages railroads to take steps to reduce the in-train forces that can cause long trains to derail. Railroads, meanwhile, said they were reviewing the advisory to make sure their operating practices are in line with the FRA’s recommendations. “For […]

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Patriot Rail to serve new Denver-area industrial park

Aerial view of planned industrial park

DENVER — Infrastructure company Rocky Mountain Industrials Inc has reached agreement with Patriot Rail Co. to provide service at the Rocky Mountain Rail Park, a 620-acre project some 29 miles east of downtown Denver in Adams County, Colo. The development features direct interchange with Union Pacific and is adjacent to Interstate 70. “The RMI team […]

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