Rail Industry News

(Source: Railway Age, August 2, 2017) NEW YORK — In a development that harks back to the region’s mining roots, Reading & Northern Railroad said it will operate anthracite unit coal trains as part of a major shipment destined for Ukraine. Full story: Railway Age

(Source: Associated Press, August 2, 2017) HYNDMAN, Pa. — Part of a CSX freight train derailed Wednesday morning in Pennsylvania setting three train cars afire and prompting emergency officials to evacuate nearby homes. No injuries were reported. Full story:...

(Source: Florida Times-Union, August 1, 2017) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX’s efforts to streamline its operations have brought complaints from customers about deteriorating service. But the head of the railroad is blaming the problems on resistance to change within the...

(Source: Reuters, August 1, 2017) SEATTLE — CSX Corp Chief Executive Hunter Harrison has apologized to customers for service disruptions that he attributed to some railroad employees resisting changes at the company, according to an email seen by Reuters. Full story:...

(Source: BizTimes Milwaukee, July 31, 2017) MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — A proposed Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago (TCMC) Intercity Passenger Rail Service project that would connect Chicago to Minneapolis, by way of Milwaukee, took another step forward last week. Full story:...

(Source: Progressive Railroading, July 31, 2017) Strobel Energy Group has signed a contract to design and construct an ethyl acetate facility in Nebraska that will be served by BNSF Railway Co. and Union Pacific Railroad. Full story: Progressive Railroading

(Source: Canadian Press, August 1, 2017) MONTREAL — The population of Lac-Megantic and its neighboring towns are heavily divided on what to do with the railway that runs through the heart of the town, Quebec’s environmental review agency said Monday. The agency, known...

(Source: Times Herald-Record, July 31, 2017) NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit and the Federal Railroad Administration will hold public hearings this week of the draft environmental impact study for Amtrak’s new Hudson River tunnel. Full story: Times Herald-Record

(Source: Trains, July 31, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — No surprise, railroads and shippers are sharply divided on the issue of allowing railroad customers with connections to only one railroad to choose an alternative carrier. Full story: Trains

(Source: The Times, August 1, 2017) MUNSTER, Ind. — Great Lakes Basin Transportation entered its response Monday to opposition groups' arguments that its application to build a 271-mile freight railroad from Northwest Indiana to southeast Wisconsin should be rejected....

(Source: Chicago Tribune, July 31, 2017) CHICAGO, Ill. — A court-appointed psychologist thinks that the elderly Wisconsin man charged in the shooting of an Amtrak conductor in Naperville is not mentally fit to stand trial, it was revealed at a court hearing Monday....

(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, July 31, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Teamsters Local 710 UPS Freight Business Agents Ted Barnhart and John “Shaggy” Rule settled a grievance after it was deadlocked at the National Panel last month, securing...

(Source: www.allgov.com, August 1, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The nation’s top train man will be a retired railroad executive with nearly 50 years’ experience in the industry. The White House announced on July 11, 2017, that President Donald Trump has nominated Ronald...

(Source: Progressive Railroading, July 31, 2017) The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee late last week unanimously approved the $60 billion fiscal-year 2018 funding bill for transportation, housing and urban development, and related agencies. The proposal would...

(Source: National Transportation Safety Board press release, July 31, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Transportation Safety Board Monday issued a Safety Alert warning rail workers of the risks of working on the tracks using only a watchman/lookout to provide the...

(Source: Railway Age, August 1, 2017) NEW YORK — CSX Chief Executive Hunter Harrison in a letter to the railroad’s customers apologized for mounting service issues, citing the rapid pace of operational changes he has implemented and blaming employees who have “pushed...

(Source: Bloomberg, July 20, 2017) NEW YORK — Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. is ready to buy its own grain cars, sidelining 6,000 government-provided ones from the 1970s that are no longer up to the job. Full story: Bloomberg

(Source: The Exponent Telegram, July 30, 2017) CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — CSX has seen an uptick in business from the oil and gas industry that is helping to offset a decline in revenue from coal shipments in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York. Full story: The...

(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, July 28, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following is a statement by Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa on the approval of legislation by the House Energy & Commerce Committee yesterday that would...

(Source: GoErie.com, July 30, 2017) ERIE, Pa. — If the company does move ahead with plans announced Thursday — and that’s not a complete certainty — GE Transportation’s Erie facility would continue to design, test and build prototypes as well as build locomotive...