Rail Industry News

(Source: Railway Age, July 11, 2017) NEW YORK — The White House on July 10 announced that President Donald Trump intends to nominate Ronald L. Batory, who recently retired as President and Chief Operating Officer of Conrail, as the next Federal Railroad Administrator....

(Source: Associated Press, July 9, 2017) WEST ALLIS, Wisc. — Union Pacific says crews are making "good progress" repairing but haven't reopened a stretch of track where several coal cars derailed near Milwaukee. Full story: Star Tribune

(Source: State Journal-Register, July 8, 2017) SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Seven deaths in less than a month involving train-vehicle collisions across central Illinois were tragic exceptions to crashes that have been on the decline for decades. Full story: State...

(Source: Associated Press, July 9, 2017) MINEOLA, N.Y. — All aboard the lawsuit train. Even before this week's start of a two-month track renovation project at New York's Pennsylvania Station that's expected to disrupt life for hundreds of thousands, some frustrated...

(Source: New York Times, July 10, 2017) NEW YORK — After two derailments that caused major disruptions this year, Amtrak determined that track conditions have reached a critical point. Another derailment occurred on Thursday, a few days before the beginning of...

(Source: CBC News, July 6, 2017) EDMONTON — A former firefighter who torched the massive CN trestle bridge outside of Mayerthorpe, Alta., last year has been sentenced to 24 months in jail and three years probation. Full story: CBC News

(Source: Associated Press, July 8, 2017) SAVANNAH, Ga. — A movie director served jail time for trespassing onto a Georgia railroad bridge and putting his film crew in the path of a freight train that slammed into the group and killed a young camera assistant. Now the...

(Source: Chicago Daily Herald, July 10, 2017) CHICAGO — When does a debacle involving 40,000 gallons of crude oil spewing into the ground, perfuming the air with noxious odors and unnerving nearby residents, seem like a blessing? When it's not the worst-case scenario....

(Source: Associated Press, July 10, 2017) NEW YORK — The day of reckoning has come for rail commuters into New York City. Amtrak is beginning extensive repairs Monday to tracks and signals in Penn Station, which it owns and operates. The work was initially scheduled...

(Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, July 6, 2017) FORT WORTH, Texas — Amtrak’s incoming boss has Texas ties, but can he save long-distance passenger rail service in the state? Richard Anderson, 62, a veteran airline executive who most recently ran Delta Air Lines, will...

(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, July 6, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Continued inaction on an increase of the minimum wage at the federal level hasn’t stopped states and localities from moving on the issue. And last weekend, several...

(Source: Merced Sun Star, July 6, 2017) MERCED, Calif. — All trains on the Union Pacific rail line southeast of Merced have stopped after the Duck Slough Bridge caught fire Thursday afternoon, California Highway Patrol and fire officials said. Full story: Merced Sun...

(Source: Great Falls Tribune, July 5, 2017) HELENA, Mont. — Two state agencies have become more active in monitoring rail safety in Montana following a 2015 audit that noted several lapses and hazards, a legislative committee was told recently. Full story: Great Falls...

(Source: CBS New York, July 6, 2017) NEW YORK — The proposed Gateway Project is pressing ahead, despite uncertainty over who is going to pay for the plan. Full story and video: CBS New York

(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, July 6, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ahead of Amazon’s largest single-day sales event, pilots who fly for Amazon Prime Air are taking their concerns about the future of the delivery service directly to Amazon...

(Source: Press release from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office, July 6, 2017) OTTAWA — The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the fourth anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic tragedy: "On the 6th of July, we pause to remember the...

(Source: CBS News, July 7, 2017) NEW YORK — Since March there have been three train derailments at New York's Penn Station. Starting Monday, Amtrak will spend about two months replacing a key section of track, and parts of the country's busiest train station will be...

(Source: Associated Press, July 6, 2017) NEW YORK — A project to build a new rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey has a new, higher price tag — and continued questions over who will pay for it. Full story: Courier-Post

(Source: Bloomberg, July 7, 2017) NEW YORK — A massive two-month repair project will launch Monday at the country's busiest train station, temporarily exacerbating the daily commuting struggle during what New York's governor has predicted will be a "summer of hell."...

(Source: The Hill, July 6, 2017) WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal watchdog is probing how railroads are implementing train safety technology amid concern that some systems are not moving fast enough to meet an upcoming federal deadline. The Department of Transportation’s...