Rail Industry News
Microsoft leads charge for high-speed rail corridor in Pacific Northwest
(Source: Freight Waves, January 21, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Commuters in the Pacific Northwest love to complain about how slow (and archaic) it is to travel between Portland and Seattle by train. It takes about three and a half hours to traverse the 170-mile...
After 40-plus years, Amfleet I replacements sought
(Source: Railway Age, January 20, 2019) NEW YORK — Amtrak on Jan. 18 released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new fleet of single-level passenger cars to replace its dependable but decades-old, 470-unit stable of Amfleet I and ex-Metroliner cars, which were...
Three NJ Transit rail lines remain suspended as federal shutdown continues
(Source: www.nj.com, January 22, 2019) NEWARK, N.J. — Gov. Phil Murphy has pledged that service on the Atlantic City Rail Line which has been shut down since September will resume. But he and NJ Transit officials can’t say when that will happen because of the ongoing...
CSX chief brushes off recession worries as cargo climbs
(Source: Bloomberg, January 18, 2019) NEW YORK — Recession worries? Don’t look to railroads, one of the economy’s most reliable bellwethers. CSX Corp. CEO Jim Foote sees no signs of a U.S. slowdown as shipments of steel, lumber, plastics, construction materials,...
Runaway one-man train crash in Western Australia contributed to US$600 million loss in productivity
(Source: Sydney Morning Herald, January 22, 2019) SYDNEY, Australia — Mining giant BHP has revealed a freight train derailment in Western Australia, a plant outage in South Australia and a copper mine fire in Chile have led to a $US600 million ($838 million) hit to...
North Dakota refocuses vapor pressure enforcement for Bakken crude
(Source: Williston Herald, January 21, 2019) WILLISTON, N.D. — North Dakota is keeping its vapor pressure requirements for conditioned crude oil at 13.7 psi but is changing the frequency and the timing of testing to when companies are more likely to struggle with...
Canadian railways ration space as congestion problems worsen
(Source: Reuters, January 22, 2019) NEW YORK — Canada‘s two major railways are rationing space on trains traveling to the country’s biggest port and recently prioritized some commodities over others to deal with congestion, the latest indication of their struggle to...
CSX exec issues apology to shippers for ‘collateral damage’ of PSR transition
(Source: Supply Chain Dive, January 18, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — One day after reporting a "historic" operating ratio for the fourth quarter, CSX Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Mark Wallace issued an apology to shippers at the Midwest Association of...
KCS joins the move to precision railroading and now it’s almost unanimous
(Source: Freight Waves, January 18, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Kansas City Southern is going down the precision railroading track. In announcing its fourth quarter 2018 earnings, KCS President and CEO Patrick Ottensmeyer said the company in 2018 "did not meet our own...
House leader names transportation subcommittee ranking members
(Source: Progressive Railroading, January 18, 2019) House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.) yesterday announced the ranking members of the panel’s six subcommittees for the 116th Congress. Full story: Progressive...
T&I Committee Chairman DeFazio announces Democratic committee roster for 116th Congress
(Source: House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee press release, January 16, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) announced the selection of Democratic Members to serve on the...
Railroad industry surges during oil boom in southeast New Mexico
(Source: Carlsbad Current-Argus, January 17, 2019) CARLSBAD, N.M. — Extraction continues to grow in Permian Basin and southeast New Mexico, bringing more resources to the surface. But products like oil and potash need to get out of the area and to market in increasing...
KCS gets approval for crude oil export facilities at Port Arthur, Texas
(Source: S&P Global Platts, January 17, 2019) HOUSTON — Kansas City Southern has received the necessary permits from state regulators to go ahead with a long-planned project to export heavy and light crude as well as refined products from its Port Arthur, Texas, rail...
Despite outcry, Netflix refuses to cut Lac-Megantic rail disaster footage from show
(Source: Canadian Press, January 17, 2019) NEW YORK — Netflix is refusing to remove from its hit movie Bird Box footage of the rail explosion that killed 47 people in Lac-Mégantic, Que., despite an appeal from the town’s mayor. Full story: www.globalnews.ca
Amtrak cancels trains, cuts service ahead of major winter storm
(Source: Reuters, January 17, 2019) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amtrak, the U.S. national passenger railroad, said on Thursday it will cancel at least 15 trains in the northeast and midwest this weekend because of an impending major winter storm, and reduce operations on other...
White House renames rail nominees
(Source: Railway Age, January 17, 2019) NEW YORK — Five nominations for rail transportation federal leadership posts were announced Jan. 16 by President Trump. All are nominees from the previous session of Congress, and were cleared by respective Senate oversight...
Hinkle Yard affected by Union Pacific layoffs
(Source: East Oregonian, January 16, 2019) HERMISTON, Ore. — Hermiston’s Hinkle Rail Yard is part of a round of layoffs by Union Pacific Railroad. Union Pacific notified its mechanical employees this month that 140 positions would be eliminated in early February,...
Jury returns multimillion-dollar verdict in favor of BNSF worker hurt at Havelock Yard
(Source: Lincoln Journal Star, January 17, 2019) LINCOLN, Neb. — A Lancaster County jury returned a multimillion-dollar verdict Wednesday in favor of a Lincoln railroad worker who lost part of his foot and later his left leg below the knee after an injury at BNSF...
BNSF’s Rose says rail industry is thriving, warns other execs: “Don’t screw it up”
(Source: Supply Chain Dive, January 17, 2019) LOMBARD, Ill. — Matthew Rose, the outgoing chairman of BNSF, told a crowd of 850 rail executives and shippers Wednesday that times are good for railroads, but continued success is in their own hands. Full story: Supply...
Siemens, Wabtec head to court in feud over PTC technology patents
(Source: Bloomberg, January 18, 2019) NEW YORK — Two companies battling for a share of more than $14 billion in mandated safety upgrades on U.S. railroads are set to collide in federal court to resolve a dispute over technology that prevents train accidents. Germany’s...
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