North America
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NewsRailway unions discuss international merger
INTERNATIONAL: The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association in the UK and Ireland and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers in the USA have announced talks with a view to merging by July 1 2022. TSSA has more than 18 000 members at rail, ferry, bus and associated companies ...
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News
KCS cements CP merger as CN agrees early termination
NORTH AMERICA: Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern confirmed on September 15 that they had entered into a definitive merger agreement, valuing the smaller railroad at approximately US$31bn.
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News
Canadian Pacific closes in on KCS merger
NORTH AMERICA: Canadian Pacific announced on September 12 that it ‘looks forward to executing a definitive merger agreement’ with Kansas City Southern, after the smaller railroad’s board deemed that CP’s latest bid now amounted to a ‘Company Superior Proposal’ compared to a previous offer from Canadian National.
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News
Progress Rail to develop hydrogen fuel cell locomotive
USA: Progress Rail is to lead the development of a demonstrator hydrogen fuel cell locomotive and fuelling infrastructure as part of a co-operation agreement announced by its parent company Caterpillar Inc on September 8. Caterpillar has agreed to work with energy supplier Chevron on the development ...
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In depth
Freight: STB juggles merger challenges
Over the coming months, the US Surface Transportation Board must rule on two proposed mergers involving Class I railroads, at a time of increasing calls for more competition in the US transport sector. Chris Jackson investigates.
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News
KCS reopens talks with CP after CN merger setback
USA: Kansas City Southern has agreed to reopen discussions with Canadian Pacific, after its Board of Directors determined that CP’s latest offer could potentially lead to a superior proposal when compared to its current merger agreement with Canadian National. Having originally agreed a merger with KCS in ...
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News
Signal gantries installed at Toronto Union
CANADA: PNR RailWorks has installed two large signal gantries spanning nine tracks as part of the Union Station Rail Corridor signalling enhancement programme on the Metrolinx network in Toronto. Concrete foundations were installed and the structures pre-assembled over two weeks, and then the gantries were put ...
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News
Canadian National bid for Kansas City Southern in doubt after STB blocks voting trust
USA: Canadian National’s US$33·6bn bid to acquire Kansas City Southern received a major setback on August 31, when the federal Surface Transportation Board rejected an application to use a voting trust as part of the process. Announcing the unanimous decision of the five-strong board, STB said ...
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Metro Report International
Ultra-wideband train control technology gains SIL-4 certification
USA: Independent safety assessor TÜV Süd has granted CENELEC SIL-4 safety certification for Piper Networks’ ultra-wideband location detection and train control technology.
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Metro Report International
Charlotte’s modernised and extended Gold Line reopens
USA: Charlotte’s CityLYNX Gold Line streetcar reopened on August 30, following a project to modernise the line and extend it at each end to connect the historic West End to the Elizabeth neighbourhood via Uptown. Trams run every every 20 min from 05.00 to 02.00 seven ...
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News
Union Pacific ups biodiesel blend
USA: Progress Rail has approved the use of up to 20% biodiesel blend across its range of 645 and 710 series engines. This follows testing with high-horsepower locomotives to monitor fuel consumption and the impact on engine oil and fuel filters. Approval will enable Union Pacific ...
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Metro Report International
Subscription version of Transit app launched
USA: Transit has launched a paid-for version of its transport app. Core features such as next departures, journey planning and mobile ticketing remain free, while after a grace period only subscribers to the new Royale service will be able to access full timetables and maps for routes that are further ...
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News
Savage and KCS develop Lake Charles area rail freight terminal
USA: Logistics and supply chain management group Savage is developing a multi-commodity rail terminal on land leased from Kansas City Southern at Mossville in southwestern Louisiana to optimise supply chains for refineries, chemical plants and other businesses in the Lake Charles area. The Mossville Railport is ...
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News
Rockies to the Red Rocks luxury train launched
USA: Luxury tourist train operator Rocky Mountaineer has launched its Rockies to the Red Rocks route, offering a two-day journey between Denver in Colorado and Moab in Utah with an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs.
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News
Wagon investment joint venture formed
USA: Trinity Industries and alternative investment manager Wafra have formed the Signal Rail Holdings joint venture which aims to invest up to $1bn over three years in a diversified portfolio of leased wagons. Wafra will own 90% of the joint venture and TI 10%, with TI ...
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News
The Andersons sells wagon leasing business with repair shops to follow
USA: The Andersons has sold its wagon leasing business to American Industrial Transport for $550m, and is also planning to divest its wagon repair business which includes 29 facilities across the USA. ‘This railcar leasing business has been a successful and consistent cash flow generator’, said ...
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Metro Report International
Foothill Gold Line design works completed
USA: The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority has announced the substantial completion of design work for the $1·5bn, 15 km four-stop extension of the Los Angeles light rail network from Glendora to Pomona. The design-build contract was awarded to the Kiewit-Parsons Joint Venture in October ...
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News
Rail organisations welcome Senate backing for US infrastructure bill
USA: Rail associations have welcomed the passage of the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act through the upper house of the US Congress on August 10, marking the latest step in the process to pass a bi-partisan infrastructure bill which could deliver significant funding streams for main line and urban rail enhancements.
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News
Wabtec breathes new life into older locomotives
USA: This month Wabtec completed the 1 000th locomotive it has remanufactured for customers in the Americas under a programme launched in 2015. Norfolk Southern has taken delivery of 500 of the locos, with other customers including Canadian Pacific, BNSF, Union Pacific and Brazilian operator Rumo.
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News
CP raises its offer for Kansas City Southern
NORTH AMERICA: Canadian Pacific announced on August 10 that it had submitted a ‘superior proposal’ to acquire Kansas City Southern, valuing the smaller railway at approximately US$31bn.
