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California Gov. Gavin Newsom clarified this week that when he called criminals accused of stealing packages from cargo trains in the state "gangs of people" he wasn’t implying the thefts were gang-related. This is not one-off," Newsom said in a news conference near Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Los Angeles on Thursday, according to the Washington Times. "This is organized theft. These are organized gangs of people that are coming out." "Forgive me for saying ‘gangs,’ that’s not a pejorative," he clarified. "They’re organized groups of folks that move from site to site."

Union Pacific, the nation’s largest railroad franchise, is considering rerouting its trains around Los Angeles amid a spike in railcar thefts, according to a CBS News affiliate. In the past year, Los Angeles County has seen a 160 percent jump in criminal rail theft, with October 2021 showing a 356 percent increase from the year before. Offenders have stolen from, assaulted, and even committed armed robbery of Union Pacific employees, amounting to “$5 million in claims, losses, and damages,” according to the company. The railroad is faulting L.A. County district attorney George Gascón’s (D.) “well-intended social justice goals,” such as...

The chief executives at CSX Corp. CSX 1.17% and Union Pacific Corp. UNP 2.73% say a lack of truck drivers, equipment and warehouse workers are causing congestion in their yards, forcing the railroad operators to turn down some business during a time of high demand for shipping companies. The railroads are also facing issues within their own operations, from damaged bridges to difficulty hiring conductors, that they say are hampering them from transporting more goods. “You dream about days like this when the phone is ringing off the hook, and customers saying, ‘Pick up my stuff and move it for...

January 6 rioters used video sharing app TikTok to recruit participants and even warned them to bring guns to the Stop the Steal rally that preceded it, the Department of Homeland Security says. DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis filed a report this April highlighting concerns that violent content was growing on the Chinese-owned social media platform, from promoting the riot and acts of terrorism to instructing others how to build bombs and sabotage railroad tracks. The five page report, obtained by the Property of the People transparency watchdog group and shared with Politico Thursday, comes as federal authorities examine...

Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Martin Oberman yesterday asked all Class Is to provide an update on their preparedness to meet service demand as the nation continues to recovery economically from the COVID-19 pandemic. In a May 27 letter sent to Class I chief executives, Oberman expressed concern that recent rail service problems — as reported by some shippers — might relate to a broader trend of rail labor reductions over the past several years, in addition to the furloughs and quarantines brought about by the pandemic. Oberman also asked the CEOs to provide information about the sufficiency of operating...

President Joe Biden’s proposed infrastructure legislation has the political class seemingly locked in a debate about what “infrastructure” means. Biden and Democratic leaders—backed by a majority of the U.S. population—believe that “infrastructure” is more than just roads and bridges and encompasses all the structures that help modern society function. Their new bill reflects that understanding, including improvements to water pipes and the electrical grid, universal broadband access, charging stations for electric vehicles, physical upgrades to schools and universities, and—perhaps most innovatively—home care for the elderly and disabled, support for families with children, and expanded access to health care. Republican elected...

France is set to ban short domestic flights in favor of train services, after lawmakers approved a plan that will see several air routes discontinued to reduce emissions. MPs voted late on Saturday to some suspend some flights by domestic airlines that can be made by train in less than two-and-a-half hours, as part of a wider climate bill. If the bill passes through France’s upper house, the Senate, France will join a number of European countries seeking to move away from short flights. But some have criticized President Emmanuel Macron for watering down proposals from his own environmental panel,...

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. agreed to acquire Kansas City Southern in a merger valued at about $25 billion that would create the first freight-rail network linking Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. The companies said Sunday their boards agreed to a deal that values Kansas City at $275 a share in a combination of cash and stock. Kansas City investors will receive 0.489 of a Canadian Pacific share and $90 in cash for each Kansas City common share held. If approved by regulators, the deal would unite two of the major North American freight carriers, linking factories and ports in Mexico,...

Billionaire Warren Buffett encouraged investors to maintain their faith in America’s economy and the businesses his Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate owns in a reassuring letter to his shareholders Saturday. Buffett hardly even addressed the coronavirus that ravaged many businesses last year, instead focusing on the long-term prospects for the railroad, utility and insurance businesses and stocks that belong to Berkshire Hathaway. But he said U.S. business will thrive over time in spite of the pandemic. “In its brief 232 years of existence, however, there has been no incubator for unleashing human potential like America. Despite some severe interruptions, our country’s economic...

In his State of the State address, Gov. Andrew Cuomo touted the $306 billion in current and proposed infrastructure projects around New York that he said would revitalize the economy after COVID-19 shut down businesses and non-essential construction. In his Jan. 14 speech, the governor said a total $51 billion was being spent for projects to revive Manhattan's Midtown West neighborhoods, citing potential new projects as well as those well into planning. That figure includes the $1.6 billion Moynihan Train Hall, which opened Jan. 1; the $1.5 billion Jacob K. Javits Center expansion, expected to be completed this year; and...

TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy, alongside Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin Corbett, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, Congressman Tom Malinowski, and Amtrak Board Chair Tony Coscia, today celebrated the finalization of the Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to construct a new Portal North Bridge. NJ TRANSIT CEO and President Kevin Corbett executed the agreement with the FTA today, which will provide $766.5 million dollars in federal funding for the Portal North Bridge. The new Portal North Bridge, a $1.8 billion...

Griffith University’s Dr Peta-Anne Zimmerman says the Queensland government’s proposal to implement hotel quarantine for international travellers at remote facilities such as mining camps, “would take a lot of strategic planning and risk assessment”. “The human resources required is massive … and equally if we move to mining camps, the human resources implications are massive there as well,” she told Sky News host Chris Smith. Dr Zimmerman said the mining camp communities “would not be able to provide” the people needed for the quarantine efforts and another solution is needed. "The communities from where these mining camps are would not...

U.S. freight-rail traffic plunged 22.1 percent to 412,549 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending May 9 compared with the same week a year ago, Association of American Railroads (AAR) data shows. Railroads logged 185,144 carloads, down 28.4 percent, and 227,405 containers and trailers, down 16 percent. None of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks on a weekly basis posted increases. Among the commodity group decreases posted during the week, coal was down 34,111 carloads to 46,515; motor vehicles and parts were down 14,876 carloads to 2,108; and metallic ores and metals were down 7,513 carloads to...

Two U.S. senators are urging the Federal Transit Authority to clarify a ban on Chinese rail manufacturers and to warn local transit authorities of potential national security threats from China, in a letter obtained by Axios. The big picture: The ban highlights a growing expansion of national security risks to include economic security, as the U.S. responds to Chinese government economic policies that many perceive as exploitative. Details: Dated Feb. 13 and addressed to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, the letter from Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) cites confusion about the ban and urges the FTA to provide...

The Twin Ports Interchange reconstruction project through Lincoln Park soared $100 million over budget this month, forcing planners to defer indefinitely portions of the work scheduled for 2020-23. The $343 million project is scheduled to begin in May. Minnesota Department of Transportation figures released Monday at a regular public meeting about the project showed a $443 million price tag. "This is what happens with every big project," Duane Hill, district engineer based in Duluth, said Monday. "You have to manage it as you go along. We thought we did a good job initially coming up with a budget for this...

Presidential candidate Joe Biden has released an infrastructure plan that calls for $1.3 trillion in investment over 10 years. The plan, released Nov. 14, makes a pledge to update the nation’s freight infrastructure, from highways and canals to railroads and tunnels. Biden plans to spend $50 billion over the first year of his presidency to repair roads, highways and bridges. He proposes a new $40 billion, 10-year Transformational Projects Fund, which will provide substantial grants for projects that are too large to be funded through existing programs, such as a major port upgrade or new tunnel. Biden also plans to...

Over the last couple of months, major container lines and alliance carriers have been blanking several of their headhauls from Asia to Europe, citing weak peak season demand. Since July 2019, seasonal rates have been consistently lower year-on-year with container prices in China to North Europe lanes moving lower; there was a 21% decline this month compared to October 2018. Container lines blank their headhauls because it helps them marginally stabilize the declining container spot rates. However, this would come at the expense of North America, as every vessel withdrawn from the European market will mean a lost backhaul voyage...

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., said the U.S. has another big problem on its hands when it comes to China: control of the rail system. “The Chinese rail company CRRC is establishing itself in America. It’s already wiped out the Australian rail industry. They could very easily do it in America,” he told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo on Friday. The Chinese state-owned corporation is also the world’s top passenger train maker, has very heavy subsidies to do competitive pricing, “way, way below any other price,” and is going to “take over the market” if the U.S. doesn’t act fast, Garamendi added....

Traveling for 64-miles along the border between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad chugs its way up and over the 10,015 foot high Cumbres Pass. Built in 1880, the C&TS Railroad has revealed the staggering beauty of the American west for nearly a 140 years. Filmmakers Annie and Russell O. Bush tell the the story of those who built and maintain this American tradition through the lens of lifetime railroader John Bush in this powerful short.

The Last Train to Grand Canyon: How Amtrak Fails the National Parks — and America Editor's note: National parks historian Alfred Runte has over the years closely watched how Congress has managed and funded Amtrak. Although funding for Fiscal Year 2019 is halfway to being assured -- the Senate has approved $50 million for the railroad, but the House of Representatives has yet to take up the measure -- he reminds us that only weeks ago Amtrak’s board approved the scenario here. A stay of execution for the Southwest Chief aside, Dr. Runte continues to lobby for the trains Americans...