CHICAGO — Amtrak has announced a significant number of cancellations beginning Thursday, Jan. 11, for long-distance and state-supported trains serving Chicago in anticipation of a major winter storm expected to hit the Midwest Friday and Saturday. The majority of...

The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) on Jan. 8 declined to consider Ohio’s bid “to enforce a state law that penalizes railroads if their trains block grade crossings for more than five minutes, turning away a case that sought further clarity on the scope of federal preemption concerning rail regulations,” according to Law360 Senior Reporter Linda Chiem.

In 2024, rail lobbyists, attorneys and influencers will toil to block costly rail safety legislation, derail a bill delimiting management operating-plan discretion and thwart unwelcome STB and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) decrees.
Topping challenges is the Rail Safety Act (S. 576), hastily born of populist politics following train mishaps, including a February 2023 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that terrifyingly spilled and ignited hazardous chemicals—the cleanup costs approaching $1 billion

Amtrak cancels more than a dozen trains into and out of Chicago ahead of winter storm CHICAGO (CBS) -- Amtrak has preemptively canceled several trains out of Chicago ahead of a winter storm coming next week. The rail agency said it is canceling a total of 18 trains...

Weekly US coal train loadings decline to one-year low at 60 trains/day: STB   US coal train loadings fell to a one-year low at 60 trains/day in the week ended Dec. 29, 2023, US Surface Transportation Board data showed Jan. 5. The last time coal train loadings...

CTA to resume Yellow Line operations on Friday, ending 50-day shutdown CHICAGO — Service on the Chicago Transit Authority’s Yellow Line — the 4.7-mile route colloquially known as the Skokie Swift — will resume Friday, Jan. 5, ending a 50-day suspension following a...

CTA: No timetable for reopening of Yellow Line The Chicago Transit Authority said Wednesday that there is still no timetable for the reopening of the Yellow Line following a November crash that left 19 people hospitalized. Responding to an inquiry from NBC Chicago, a...

FRA’s train crew size rule moves forward The Federal Railroad Administration has submitted its final rule on train crew staffing to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, with the final rule potentially being released in March, according to OMB’s...

C3RS: Railroad Safety Revisited—or Not As we approach the one-year anniversary of the devastating train derailment that thrust the small community of East Palestine, Ohio, and its people into the media, it’s fair to ask, what is the status of America’s Class I...

Derailment led to intense scrutiny of rail safety