News Archive (January 16 through January 22)

This page contains a railroad news archive for a single week. For all recent rail news, please see RailServe.com's RailNews Home Page.

Note: Some stories may no longer be available, or a fee may be required for full access.

Saturday/Sunday, January 21-22

• CPR signals switch in strategy to narrow competitive gap (Globe and Mail)
  Canadian Pacific seeks improved fluidity in competition with Canadian National.
• Train Derailment Leaves 700 Skiers Stranded (AP)
  Union Pacific coal train derailment strands ski train passengers at Winter Park.
• NTSB: Misaligned switch may have caused train crash (Daily Home)
  Switch failure may be the cause of two Norfolk Southern trains colliding in Alabama.
• New York subway and bus workers reject tentative contract (AP)
  33,000 transit workers narrowly reject tentative contract by a margin of seven votes.
• Rail Freight Traffic Registers Strong Gain (AAR)
  US intermodal and container volume rise last week by 12.3% and 14.8%, respectively.
• CSX to work with VRE to improve relations (AP)
  CSX appoints AVP to improve Virginia Railway Express on-time performance.
• Problems with signal cause delays on NJ Transit (Asbury Park Press)
  Amtrak and NJT service to NYC disrupted Friday morning due to signal problems.
• Reduced-emission locomotive unveiled (Whittier Daily News)
  Union Pacific seeks new "Gen-Set" switchers that reduce emissions and fuel consumption.
• Train plan on track (Ottawa Sun)
  Construction of Ottawa light rail line to begin in August after environmental approval.
• Snow paralyzes railways, 160,000 passengers held up (Xinhua)
  Heavy snow in China strands passengers on Beijing-Guangzhou Railway.
• Four Bids to Build Network for Cellphones in Subway (NY Times)
  NYC's MTA receives four bids to install cell phone service in 277 subway stations.

Thursday/Friday, January 19-20

• CSX Transportation to Re-Open Vital Gulf Coast Rail Line (CSX)
  CSX resumes local freight service to New Orleans following hurricane repairs.
• Union Pacific Reports Fourth Quarter Earnings (UP)
  UP profits rise 27 percent, excluding year-ago charge, due to wider margins.
• CN and BNSF Railway announce agreement to increase network fluidity and infrastructure capacity (CN/BNSF)
  Improvements seen in Vancouver, Chicago, and between Memphis and southern Illinois.
• Panel Seeks Ban on 'Push' Trains (Los Angeles Times)
  Assembly members recommend end to "push" commuter trains after Metrolink crash.
• Most Allowed Home After Ala. Train Mishap (AP)
  Evacuations end following Wednesday crash of two Norfolk Southern trains in Alabama.
• CN purchases RailAmerica’s Alberta short lines for C$26 million (CN)
  Canadian National purchases three shortlines and plans to upgrade track and operations.
• CSX Plans Terminal, Business Facility (The Ledger)
  Intermodal terminal and business park to be built in Winter Haven, Florida.
• Amtrak Smart Pass Fares To increase (AP)
  Northeast Corridor monthly pass fares to rise in February.

Monday/Tuesday, January 16-17

• CP Rail cuts jobs to keep pace with CN (Globe and Mail)
  Canadian Pacific to cut 400 management and support jobs for productivity improvement.
• Hudson tunnel plan has critics (Asbury Park Press)
  Commuters and rail advocates debate merits of NJ Transit's $6B Hudson River tunnel.
• Rail Runner commuter service remains on track (Free New Mexican)
  New Mexico says Belen to Santa Fe commuter rail project is on schedule and budget.
• NJ Transit Drops Proposal to Restrict Photos of Trains (AP)
  New Jersey commuter rail agency drops controversial public photo ban.
• Casselton officials object to proposal for faster trains (AP)
  Casselton, North Dakota officials object to BNSF plan to raise track speed to 60mph.
• Mudslide In Southwestern Washington Blocks Amtrak Service (KOMO)
  Passenger and freight service disrupted again by mudslides south of Seattle.
• Trains moving again following trestle fire near Yuma (AP)
  Union Pacific resumes service in southern Arizona after building temporary trestle.
• On-Time Records of Trains Depend on Where They Go (NY Times)
  LIRR and NJ Transit face challenges of sharing NY Penn Station with Amtrak.
• Country's railways on different tracks (Globe and Mail)
  Canadian Pacific seeks productivity improvements to compete with rival CN.
• Cell Phone Companies Mull Wiring Subway Platforms (NY1)
  NYC's MTA to wire 277 stations, but some cell phone companies question expense.
• Light-rail is best choice to manage traffic (The Coloradoan)
  Opinion: Commuter rail would ease transportation in Fort Collins, Colorado.
• Rail companies on trial for sparking forest fires (Canadian Press)
  Lawsuit alleges that poorly maintained RailAmerica locomotives are responsible for fire.
• Rail-subsidy assertions take the wrong track (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
  Opinion: DM&E's Powder River Basin project has tremendous public benefits.
• R.J. Corman announces lease of track from BNSF (Memphis Business Journal)
  RJ Corman adds 36 miles of industrial track to Memphis area operations.
• Derailment Disrupts Freight, Passengers (WTOK)
  CSX derailment disrupts freight and Amtrak service in Alabama.
• 7 train cars derail in Shelby, spilling corn (AP)
  BNSF derailment spills two cars of corn in Shelby, Montana on Monday.
• Derailment leaks sulfuric acid (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
  CSX derailment leaks 10,000 gallons of sulfuric acid in western PA rail yard.
• B.C. staying out of CN Rail safety probe (Chilliwack Progress)
  British Columbia transportation minister says feds are responsible for investigation.