Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
March 9, 2023
AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending March 4, 2023
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 4, 2023. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 474,191 carloads and intermodal units, down 6.3 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending March 4 were 237,413 carloads, down 1.0 percent compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 236,778 containers and trailers, down 11.1 percent compared to 2022.
March 8, 2023
NY Penn Station Access Infrastructure Project
Amtrak is coordinating with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to support the Penn Station Access Project on the Hell Gate Line. This project will transform the region by constructing four new Metro-North stations in the Bronx and allowing Metro-North trains to travel to New York Penn Station for the first time.
March 8, 2023
US Senator Warren Urges Surface Transportation Board to Block Proposed Railroad Merger Citing Threats to Safety and Jobs
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to the Surface Transportation Board (STB), urging them to block the proposed merger between Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS), which would combine the sixth- and seventh-largest U.S. railroads by revenue. The Senator sent the letter following the derailment and massive chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio and highlighted the risks from years of cost-cutting and deregulation of the nations’ railways.
March 8, 2023
CSX Responds to Derailment in Sandstone, West Virginia
At 4:51 a.m., a CSX train struck a rockslide in Sandstone, W. Va., causing the empty coal train to derail. Preliminary information indicates that all four of the train’s locomotives and nine empty coal cars derailed.
March 7, 2023
Siemens Mobility to Invest $220 Million into North Carolina Rail Manufacturing Facility
Siemens Mobility, the Unites States’ largest passenger rolling stock manufacturer, will expand its manufacturing footprint by building a $220 million advanced manufacturing and rail services facility in Lexington, NC. The facility will create more than 500 new jobs and be one of the city’s largest employers.
March 7, 2023
NS Conductor Fatally Injured in Cleveland
Norfolk Southern Corporation stated that Louis Shuster, a Norfolk Southern conductor, was fatally injured early Tuesday morning at the Cleveland-Cliffs Cleveland Works property in Cleveland, Ohio. At this time, officials are reporting that the conductor was struck by a dump truck as a Norfolk Southern train was moving through a crossing at the facility.
March 6, 2023
Brightline Makes History as Fastest Train in Florida
Brightline, the only provider of modern, eco-friendly, intercity rail in America is officially the fastest train in Florida and the Southeastern United States after reaching speeds of 130 mph. The historic accomplishment took place while Brightline conducted train testing along its new 35-mile rail corridor between Orlando International Airport and Cocoa, Fla. The new tracks are built along the Beachline Expressway/SR 528, which is fenced and has no grade crossings.
March 6, 2023
Metrolinx Announces New Location for GO Layover Facility
As part of the development phase of the GO Expansion – On-Corridor Works Project, Metrolinx has been working with ONxpress to optimize GO service expansion levels and a new location for the layover facility has been identified in that process. This means that Metrolinx will no longer pursue planning and design work for the layover facility originally planned for the Don Valley.
March 6, 2023
Norfolk Southern Announces Six-Point Safety Plan
Norfolk Southern Corporation announced Monday a six-point plan to immediately enhance the safety of its operations. The initiatives are based on the preliminary findings of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) following the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment.
March 6, 2023
Amtrak Cascades Service Fully Restored
Amtrak, in collaboration with ODOT, WSDOT and other agencies resumed Cascades service between Portland, Ore. and Vancouver, BC on March 6. This marks the first time direct service operates between Portland and stations north of Seattle since 2020
