U.S. Department of Transportation announces funding for Port Infrastructure Development Program
The flow of intermodal traffic carried by the nation’s railroads is critically dependent on efficiently functioning ports.
Freight
Canadian National selling lines to Watco
CN and Watco announced that they have reached an agreement for the sale of non-core lines and assets.
Class 1 rail employment up a tad in February
After over a year of continuous declines in Class 1 railroad employment, two things happened in February 2021.
CSX train derails near Nashville
A CSX train derailed in the wee hours of this past Saturday near Madison, Tenn., northeast of Nashville.
RT&S March issue is now digital
The March issue of Railway Track & Structures magazine is now available in a digital format.
R. J. Corman appoints Eric Hosey as vice president of operations
R. J. Corman Railroad Company, LLC is pleased to welcome Eric Hosey as vice president of operations, effective immediately. Hosey, who brings an extensive and varied background into this role, will work as a counterpart to John Phillips and will report to Ray Goss, president of R. J. Corman Railroad Company.
Red Line is ‘never going to happen’ in N.C. so officials are against sales tax increase
The plan to expand transit in the city of Charlotte, N.C., and the surrounding areas may never make it off the drawing board.
FY20 CRISI Grant for education and training to benefit all short line railroads
The Iowa Northern Railway Company (IANR) has entered the final planning phase for the development of a comprehensive safety education and training program for short line railroads, supported by a FY20 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program (CRISI) grant.
Short Line Safety Institute offers Transportation Emergency Response Plan
The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) today unveiled a new offering, the development and documentation of a Transportation Emergency Response Plan (TERP) for short line railroads.
AAR: Week 9 traffic thaw following frozen February
Total U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 6 was 515,135 carloads and intermodal units, up 11.4% compared with the same week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR) on March 10.
Short lines outline economic impacts, environmental benefits, and growth strategies at congressional hearing
[Yesterday], Caren Kraska, president and chairman of the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad (A&M), and a member of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), testified on behalf of the nation’s 600 Class II and III railroads.
Minnesota train derailment cleanup and noise continue
On Monday, RT&S reported on a Canadian Pacific derailment northwest of downtown Minneapolis, Minn., near the suburb of Plymouth. The city of Plymouth provided an update on its website and social media yesterday about the status of the cleanup.
Commentary: Cybersecurity and the railroads
Imagine waking up one morning and learning from your preferred news source that agents from an adversarial nation-state were fanned out across the country, stealing information and documents from private corporations and government agencies.
Proposed train yard project in Calif. described as a ‘nuisance’ by one resident
Residents of San Luis Obispo, Calif., are not happy about a proposed train yard project, with one calling it a “nuisance” on social media.
CP suffers mainline derailment yesterday; operations restored this morning
A CP freight train derailed yesterday in Plymouth, Minn., northwest of Minneapolis.
BNSF suffers hazmat derailment near Ludlow, Calif.
A BNSF train traveling west on Wednesday derailed near Ludlow, Calif., in the Mojave Desert, not far from Interstate Highway 40.
Public turns on its town to preserve land pursued by short line railroad
Residents in Hopedale, Mass., are taking their town to court over land they believe should not have been sold to a short line railroad.
Committee leaders release DOT Inspector General’s ethics report on former Secretary Elaine Chao
[Yesterday], Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) released the report from the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT OIG) [on the] ethics investigation into former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao.
Extreme winter weather slows traffic: AAR
The Association of American Railroads, in reporting U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Feb. 27, 2021, as well as volumes for February 2021, noted that volume took a polar vortex hit.
Pandemic challenged BNSF in 2020; railroad ‘in good hands’ for 2021
Despite a 7% decline in volume, BNSF’s profit margin increased by 2.9 percentage points in 2020, Warren Buffet, Chairman of the Board for parent company Berkshire Hathaway, told shareholders.