Railroad News

Amtrak has filed a lawsuit alleging that Cimarron Crossing Feeders engaged in "gross negligence" in relation to a train derailment in Kansas last month.

Filed late last week, the lawsuit — which lists Amtrak and BNSF Railway Co. as plaintiffs — alleges Cimarron Crossing Feeders employees left a truck "unattended, out of gear and without any brakes applied" when it was loading grain March 13 into March 14, according to The Hutchinson News.

BNSF Railway Co. may cancel plans to build a new intermodal rail facility near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach following a California judge's recent ruling that found fault with the proposed project's environmental review process.

After reviewing California Superior Court Judge Barry Good's ruling, BNSF officials are "troubled by what the decision represents and uncertain whether moving forward with the project is feasible at this time," said BNSF Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Steve Bobb in a press release.

Canadian Pacific announced today that it will end its attempt to merge with Norfolk Southern Corp., and will withdraw a resolution calling for NS shareholders to vote in favor of negotiations between the companies.

CP plans "no further financial offers or overtures to meet with the NS board" at this time, according to a CP press release.

Canadian Pacific yesterday released another in a series of white papers that try to make the case for a proposed takeover of Norfolk Southern Railway.

The white paper details how the "precision railroad philosophy" that CP has applied to elevate its status from "industry laggard to leader" would transform NS to create a leading North American transcontinental railroad, according to a CP press release.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has directed Amtrak to conduct an immediate safety review with key workers, including track workers and train dispatchers, as the regulator continues its investigation into this week's fatal train accident in Chester, Pa.

The FRA also directed Amtrak to improve communication among work crews, supervisors and rail dispatchers. 

Norfolk Southern Railway has presented 60 customers with its Chemical Safety Award for safely transporting hazardous products on its rail lines in 2015, the Class I announced earlier this week.

Last year, the award-winning companies delivered 224,660 carloads of chemical products that the federal government regulates as hazardous, NS officials said in a press release.

[Editor's note: This story was updated at 11:50 a.m. CDT.]

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) earlier this week issued its preliminary report on the Amtrak derailment that occurred March 14 near Cimarron, Kan.

Union Pacific Corp.'s board has elected Jane Holl Lute as its newest member, the Class I announced yesterday.

Lute is former deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, having served the agency from 2009 to 2013.

Kansas City Southern Railway Co. (KCSR) will spend $20 million on construction and improvement projects on its main line from Kansas through Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and northwest Louisiana, the railroad announced yesterday.

The projects include replacement of 6 miles of rail and 92,400 cross ties, as well as improvements to more than 100 grade crossings. Work will begin April 19 and end in mid-June, according to a KCSR press release.

BNSF Railway Co., real estate developer Hillwood and resin packaging firm Packwell Inc. have agreed on a framework for construction of a new plastics export packaging facility at the AllianceTexas development in north Fort Worth, Texas.

The facility will be built in the rail-connected Alliance Westport industrial sector located at AllianceTexas, a 180,000-acre mixed-use development, according to a press release issued by Hillwood.

CN announced yesterday that 15,000 employees have completed railway training at its two education campuses since they opened in 2014.

The milestone of 15,000 workers trained "reflects the re-engineering of how CN hires a new generation of railroaders and upgrades the skills of current ones," said CN President and Chief Executive Officer Claude Mongeau in a press release.

Rangeland Energy is developing a South Texas Energy Products System (STEPS) terminal in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Kansas City Southern's main line, the Class I announced last week on its website.

The terminal is expected to begin service in first-quarter 2017 for initial manifest shipments.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will examine multiple factors that may have played a role in yesterday's Amtrak train derailment near Chester, Pa., that killed two people.

The accident occurred when the train hit a backhoe on the track. Two maintenance workers who were on the track or the backhoe — both Amtrak employees — were killed. About 35 people were injured, according to news media reports.

Norfolk Southern Corp. yesterday unveiled its annual report online, noting "early accomplishments" of the Class I's recently announced five-year strategic plan to drive growth, streamline operations and improve profit.

In his first annual report letter to shareholders since he became chief executive officer in 2015, President and CEO James Squires wrote that the railroad "has taken decisive and deliberate action to capitalize on significant growth opportunities within our unique network."

A California superior court judge's ruling this week has halted BNSF Railway Co.'s $500 million intermodal project near the Port of Los Angeles.

The ruling involved several lawsuits filed against a plan to build a 153-acre intermodal rail facility known as the Southern California International Gateway. The lawsuits were filed over concerns that the project would have a harmful effect on nearby neighborhoods and the environment.

Watco Cos. LLC has reached an agreement with WTC Industrial to design, build and operate a new, public unit-train liquid fuels terminal and general cargo facility at WTC Industrial Park in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

The terminal will be located on Kansas City Southern de Mexico's (KCSM) main line and will have the capacity to unload one unit train per day in Phase I, company and WTC Industrial officials announced yesterday in a press release.

Amtrak has unveiled a $50 million plan to renovate and expand the intercity and commuter-rail concourse at Union Station in Washington, D.C.

The project would add approximately 20,000 square feet of passenger space, nearly doubling the concourse's current capacity, Amtrak officials announced Tuesday in a press release.

CN has recognized 22 of its customers for their sustainability practices that are aligned with the objectives of the CN EcoConnexions program, the Class I announced yesterday.

Under the program, participating companies work to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency.

Construction will kick off in June on a new Amtrak station in Tacoma, Wash., the Washington State Department of Transportation's (WSDOT) Rail Division announced late last week.

The station will be built in Tacoma's Freighthouse Square and located along the Amtrak Cascades route.

Canadian Pacific yesterday filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission a shareholder resolution that will ask Norfolk Southern Corp.'s board to engage in "good faith discussions" regarding CP's proposed merger with NS.

CP also filed a letter that will be sent to NS shareholders in which the Canadian Class I describes what it believes would be the merger's value to shareholders.