BNSF and UP at loggerheads over Gulf Coast haulage traffic in Texas

BNSF Railway logo

WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway and Union Pacific are locked in a dispute over BNSF haulage rights traffic that moves over UP rails along the Texas Gulf Coast. As part of UP’s acquisition of Southern Pacific in 1996, BNSF gained access to customers along UP between Houston and Brownsville, Texas, which also is a gateway to […]

Read More…

News photo: Union Pacific officers’ train in Colorado (updated)

Yellow locomotive and passenger cars at tunnel.

An 11-car Union Pacific passenger train pauses at the east portal of Colorado’s Moffat Tunnel on Tuesday while passengers inspect the tunnel’s fan house and control room. The train arrived at Winter Park, Colo., on Monday morning, and departed about 2 p.m. today, stopping at the tunnel before continuing to Denver, where it is laying […]

Read More…

News photos: UP Lenox Tower demolished

Heavy equipment tearing down brick buidling

Demolition work began Monday on Union Pacific’s Lenox Tower in Mitchell, Ill., about 20 miles north of St. Louis. The tower is being razed to streamline the interlocking and remove a troublesome puzzle switch as part of a realignment project that will allow increased speeds for Amtrak Lincoln Service trains between Chicago and St. Louis. […]

Read More…

Evacuation order lifted after Iowa derailment

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

SIBLEY, Iowa — The evacuation order resulting from the derailment of a Union Pacific train in Sibley was lifted Monday evening, after fears of an explosion eased greatly authorities discovered a car believed to be carrying ammonium nitrate was actually empty. KCAU-TV reports about 400 people had been affected by the evacuation order, which was […]

Read More…

Digest: Supreme Court case asks whether a stopped train is ‘in use’

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

U.S. Supreme Court asks Solicitor General for opinion in case involving injured Union Pacific engineer The U.S. Supreme Court is asking the Biden Administration to take a position in a case involving Union Pacific that could affect the railroad’s liability for worker injuries. Reuters reports the court asked the U.S. Solicitor General’s office for an […]

Read More…

Digest: Evacuation continues near Sibley, Iowa, derailment

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

Evacuation continues after UP derailment in Iowa Iowa State Troopers said they planned to allow the fire to burn overnight after a Union Pacific train derailed and caught fire in Sibley, Iowa, on Sunday afternoon. KELO-TV reports an evacuation remains in effect in a 2½-mile radius of the derailment site, with those evacuated sheltering in […]

Read More…

UP train derails, catches fire in Sibley, Iowa (2nd update)

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

SIBLEY, Iowa — For the second time in about 24 hours, a Union Pacific train derailment in the Midwest has created a hazmat situation. This time, the derailment has triggered a fire that is leading to an evacuation of part of Sibley, a town of about 2,800 just south of the Iowa-Minnesota border and about […]

Read More…

Tank cars leaking acid at site of UP derailment in Minnesota

Derailed freight cars

ALBERT LEA, Minn. — Some 28 cars of Union Pacific train MITDM derailed in Albert Lea at approximately 1:45 p.m. today. The southbound train was en route from Itasca Yard in Superior, Wis., to Des Moines, Iowa. The derailment occurred along Goose Lake in Albert Lea, just north of the small UP yard in town, with […]

Read More…

Analysis: Union Pacific pivots into growth mode

Two auto rack trains in Nebraska.

  Union Pacific, which has long put profitability ahead of volume growth, has turned over a new leaf. UP now says it is focused on gaining traffic – and that it will grow faster than the rate of industrial production over the next three years by diverting freight from highway to rail. UP’s emphasis on […]

Read More…

Digest: NJ Transit settles lawsuits from Hoboken crash

NJ Transit logo

NJ Transit settles suits from fatal 2016 crash at Hoboken Terminal NJ Transit has settled several lawsuits stemming from the fatal 2016 accident when a train ran through an end-of-track barricade at its Hoboken Terminal. NJ.com reports the agency settled the suit of the estate of the young woman who was killed by falling debris, […]

Read More…

Digest: Amtrak, ATF offer $10,000 reward in Beech Grove fire case

Fire truck spraying water on burning building with passenger cars in background

$10,000 reward offered in investigation of Amtrak shop fire Amtrak and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and successful prosecution of the person or persons responsible for the May 2 fire at Amtrak’s Beech Grove (Ind.) Heavy Maintenance Facility, WXIN-TV […]

Read More…

Digest: NJ Transit has plan to test battery-electric equipment, but needs funding

Train pulling up to the station

NJ Transit awaits funding for plans to test battery-electric commuter equipment NJ Transit wants to test battery-electric rail equipment on its North Jersey Coast Line — if it can find the funding, NJ.com reports. The program would be similar to that announced last month by the Long Island Rail Road [see “Long Island Rail Road […]

Read More…