Rail Industry News

(Source: Midland Reporter-Telegram, November 15, 2017) MIDLAND, Texas — Attorneys representing family members of three of the four military veterans killed in a crash between a Union Pacific train and a parade float in Midland in 2012 said Wednesday they are asking...

(Source: Courthouse News Service, November 15, 2017) SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After a delay, the California High-Speed Rail Authority on Wednesday awarded a hotly contested contract to a German engineering firm to help with the preoperative and early-operation phase of...

(Source: Railway Age, November 13, 2017) NEW YORK — Monday the 13th at General Electric: The 125-year-old corporation, among the world’s oldest, announced a massive, aggressive downsizing and restructuring, a reduced dividend, and an in-the-works divestiture of its...

(Source: National Transportation Safety Board press release, November 14, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Transportation Safety Board determined Tuesday the April 3, 2016, derailment of Amtrak train 89 near Chester, Pennsylvania was caused by deficient safety...

(Source: CBC News, November 15, 2017) MONTREAL — As towering flames lit the night sky in the early morning of July 6, 2013, employees of the now-defunct Montreal, Maine and Atlantic (MMA) railway spoke to each other with growing apprehension, trying to figure out the...

(Source: San Jose Mercury News, November 14, 2017) SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Commuters heading into the Bay Area on the San Joaquins or Capitol Corridor routes can look forward to a little more breathing room: Caltrans announced last week a $371 million contract for new...

(Source: Editorial in the Kansas City Star, November 13, 2017) KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A NAFTA country is your state’s top export market. Period. And it does not matter on which side of the state line you live. Full story: Kansas City Star

(Source: The Telegraph, November 14, 2017) MACON, Ga. — A group of nearly 20 residents gathered on the courthouse steps Tuesday to express their feelings about a Bibb County judge’s order that would allow a rail terminal and ethanol fuel transfer station to be built...

(Source: Chicago Tribune, November 14, 2017) CHICAGO — A Japanese rail-car maker with a manufacturing plant in Rochelle has lost a lucrative contract to build high-speed Amtrak passenger trains after years of safety problems, technical failures and layoffs. Full...

(Source: Associated Press, November 13, 2017) SAVANNAH, Ga. — Georgia port officials will spend $42 million to untie road and rail congestion around Savannah's docks. Ultimately, the $128 million project will combine rail yards operated by CSX Corp. and Norfolk...

(Source: DeSmog Canada, November 14, 2017) VICTORIA, B.C. — In recent months, there’s been a re-emergence of one of the oil industry’s most adored tropes: that without new pipelines, companies will ship oil by rail and threaten entire communities with derailments,...

(Source: Railway Track & Structures, November 14, 2017) NEW YORK — Amtrak has announced several track renewal projects in New York Penn Station as part of its Infrastructure Renewal program that rolled out in summer of 2017. Full story: Railway Track & Structures

(Source: The Journal News, November 13, 2017) NEW YORK — A Metro-North conductor accused of assaulting two MTA police officers in August turned down a plea deal Monday that would have spared him criminal charges. Full story: www.lohud.com

(Source: Progressive Railroading, November 14, 2017) The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has secured $382 million in federal loans to implement positive train control (PTC), the agency announced yesterday. Full story: Progressive Railroading

(Source: Associated Press, November 14, 2017) PHILADELPHIA — Amtrak says it has taken steps to improve its safety culture since two maintenance workers were killed by a train last year near Philadelphia. Full story: www.sfgate.com

(Source: CBC News, November 14, 2017) MONTREAL — Former Montreal, Maine and Atlantic (MMA) locomotive engineer Tom Harding voiced repeated concerns about the locomotive he was operating toward Lac-Mégantic the day before the July 2013 rail tragedy. Full story: CBC...

(Source: Midland Reporter-Telegram, November 15, 2017) MIDLAND, Texas — It was five years ago today, that a Union Pacific train traveling eastbound through Midland collided with a Show of Support parade float, killing four wounded veterans and injuring 14 other...

(Source: Register-Mail, November 13, 2017) GALESBURG, Ill. — Galesburg has quiet zones to deter trains from whistling at certain crossings within BNSF Railway subdivisions, and next year another is expected to join the ranks. The BNSF Mendota subdivision will qualify...

(Source: Railway Age, November 14, 2017) NEW YORK — Union Pacific and Katoen Natie broke ground on a new state-of-the-art plastic packaging facility in Dallas. Full story: Railway Age

(Source: Bergen Record, November 14, 2017) BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. — The new year is coming, and with that knowledge NJ Transit commuters should prepare themselves for more track closures at New York Penn Station. This time, North Jersey Coast Line and Northeast Corridor...