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American Services Rail has replaced Rock Island Rail as the operator of the Mississippi Delta Railroad, according to the Federal Register.

ASR announced that it and the line’s owner, Coahoma County, Miss., have entered a lease under which ASR will operate the 51-mile former Illinois Central line as a common carrier. According to ASR, it will take over from Rock Island Rail, which has managed the line since early 2019 and completed significant infrastructure work. In recent years, the primary business has been car storage. The line stretches between Jonestown, Miss., and a connection with CN at Swan Lake.

By early April, many of the stored cars had departed, leaving a wide-open yard in Clarksdale, Miss. Rock Island Rail, based in Sumner, Miss., will move its locomotives – several painted to honor the original Rock Island – to its other operations, which include Gulf & Ship Island and Ottawa Northern. Headquartered in Southaven, Miss., ASR has focused on track construction, maintenance, and derailment services. —M.T. Burkhart

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The U.S. Surface Transportation Board approved a proposal from Genesee & Wyoming’s subsidiary, Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad, to take control of local switching services around Eugene, Ore. CORP and UP first proposed the deal last year, although it faced some opposition from union officials. 

However, the railroads argued that it would result in better service. After seeking input from local rail customers (who seemed to agree that they would rather work with CORP than the Class I), the STB approved the deal on April 8. 

“The Board finds that the transaction may increase efficiency and reduce costs and that authorizing operations by CORP may result in better local service,” officials with the independent regulator stated in a press release. —Justin Franz 

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The Friends of the East Broad Top and the EBT Foundation broke ground on April 5 on a new station at Saltillo, Pa. Once completed, the new station will resemble the original Saltillo station, which was constructed in 1892 and demolished in 2004 after nearly 50 years of disuse. 

Before the original was taken down, however, volunteers from Friends of the East Broad Top took detailed measurements and removed several interior details. These measurements are being used to design the new station, which will meet modern building codes while resembling the original after its expansion in 1913. Trains have not operated to Saltillo since 1956, when the railroad initially shut down. In 1960, the railroad reopened for excursions between Orbisonia and Colgate Grove. That section remained open until the 2000s. In 2020, it was announced that a new effort was being launched to reopen the railroad. The EBT is currently building track south toward Saltillo. 

Andy Van Scyoc, president of the Friends, said the organization “is excited to complete the circle from documentation of the original station to building a faithful replica that will prove beneficial to the railroad and community alike.” —Justin Franz 

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The Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak terminated a $63.9 million grant awarded under the Corridor Identification and Development Program for the Amtrak Texas High-Speed Rail Corridor, formerly known as the Texas Central Railway project. The project, which has been in development for over a decade, aims to connect Dallas/Fort Worth with Houston. 

“I am pleased to announce that FRA and Amtrak are in agreement that underwriting this project is a waste of taxpayer funds and a distraction from Amtrak’s core mission of improving its existing subpar services,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “The Texas Central Railway project was proposed as a private venture. If the private sector believes this project is feasible, they should carry the pre-construction work forward rather than relying on Amtrak and the American taxpayer to bail them out. My department will continue to look for every opportunity to save federal dollars and prioritize efficiencies.” 

Amtrak revived the project in 2024 when it assumed planning responsibilities. The initiative has encountered strong opposition from landowners resistant to selling their property or having a high-speed train nearby. It remains unclear what will happen to the effort now that it has lost public funding. 

Kleinheinz Capital Partners, the lead investor in Texas Central, informed the Texas Tribune that they are confident they can secure the funding necessary to construct the railroad. 

“We agree with Secretary Duffy that this project should be led by the private sector, and we will be proud to take it forward,” the company said in a statement. “This project is shovel-ready and will create significant new jobs and economic growth for Texas as part of President Trump’s efforts to boost the U.S. economy.” —Justin Franz

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A retired Amtrak conductor credited with reviving Colorado’s legendary ski train is hatching a plan to take freight off of the constantly-congested Interstate 70 and put it on the former Denver & Rio Grande Western main line. 

Brad Swartwelter developed the business plan for the Winter Park Express, which operates between Denver and Winter Park, Colo., on weekends to transport skiers and riders to the slopes. On days when the train doesn’t run, those travelers are usually forced to drive on Interstate 70 through the mountains. To help alleviate that traffic, Swartwelter aims to construct a “rail bridge” that would enable trucks (approximately 2,000 per day travel along I-70) to be loaded onto rail cars and then transported via Union Pacific’s Moffat Subdivision. 

Interstate 70 connects Denver to several ski resorts, and every hour it is closed due to an accident, the state loses $2 million in economic activity. Last year, the highway was shut down 99 times. 

“I-70 is our biggest problem in this state,” Swartzwelter told the Denver Gazette. “The congestion is unbearable. All we need is one trucker making a mistake to cause one of the 99 shutdowns that pummels us and takes away millions of dollars, especially from places like Vail. Removing the trucks from I-70 and putting them in a different corridor would relieve well over 70 percent of the problem.”

Swartwelter envisions constructing facilities west of Grand Junction and east of Denver that would allow for loading and unloading trucks onto flatcars, much like they do in Europe. The train would include a sleeping car, enabling truck drivers to rest during their journey across the state. To fund the construction of the facilities and acquire the rail cars, Swartwelter is advocating for a voter-approved bond to cover the expenses. 

One thing is certain: the former Rio Grande across the state has the capacity for additional freight. Today, only a handful of UP and BNSF Railway (using trackage rights) trains operate across the state. —Justin Franz 

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BNSF Railway, Norfolk Southern, and the Northwest Seaport Alliance announced on April 2 that they have redesigned their service offerings to reduce the number of days it takes for a container to travel from the West Coast to Chicago. 

Currently, it takes nine days for an intermodal container to leave the ship at the Ports of Tacoma or Seattle and then reach Chicago. However, due to operational changes at the ports, this time has now been reduced to six days. To improve service to destinations east of Chicago, BNSF and NS are now collaborating on a smoother and quicker handoff in Chicago. 

“This service product collaboration was an outcome of listening to our joint customers, who emphasized the desire to use more rail, but would need to also reduce inventory carrying and total landed transportation costs out of their networks in 2025,” said BNSF Group Vice President, Consumer Products Jon Gabriel. “We are proud to deliver a solution that accomplishes these goals.”

Railroad officials said the changes have resulted in the fastest route between the Pacific Northwest and Chicago. 

“At Norfolk Southern, we’re focused on delivering smart, customer-centric solutions—and this enhanced service from the Pacific Northwest to the Midwest is exactly that,” said Shawn Tureman, Vice President of Intermodal Automotive Commercial. “By collaborating with BNSF and the Northwest Seaport Alliance, we’re offering a faster, more reliable rail option that helps shippers reduce transit time, cut costs, and streamline supply chains heading into 2025 and beyond. —Justin Franz 

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The Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad is celebrating its 60th anniversary this weekend with a variety of events in western New York. 

The LA&L was established in 1965 when local residents banded together to save a former Erie Lackawanna branch line that connected the railroad’s namesake communities. The short line’s first train operated on April 7, 1965. Sixty years later, the LA&L has expanded into a 400-mile system comprising four lines in New York and Pennsylvania. 

Anniversary celebrations commenced on Friday morning at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in Rush, N.Y., which preserves several historic pieces of equipment from the LA&L fleet. Among them is LA&L RS-1 20, which was dedicated on Friday to former LA&L board member Eugene Blabey, who passed away in 2024.

Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad President and CEO Bob Babcock speaks at a press conference marking the railroad’s 60th anniversary on Friday. Photo by Otto Vondrak. 

On Friday night, LA&L was scheduled to host a sold-out night photo session at its shops in Lakeville. 

On Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum will operate short excursions featuring two of its three LA&L locomotives: RS-1 20, which was donated to the museum in 2016, and S-2 72, donated in 2023. The excursions will also include LA&L caboose 2603, built for the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railway in 1918. General Electric 45-tonner 41 will also be on display. Originally built by GE in 1941 for use at its own Riverworks plant in Lynn, Mass., this locomotive was the first unit purchased by LA&L in 1964. However, the railroad quickly realized it was too small for its needs, and it never turned a wheel for the LA&L. Instead, it was sold to Rochester Gas & Electric, where it operated until 1991. Lastly, LA&L plow 4410, which was donated to the museum in 2023, will also be on display. 

Tickets for this weekend’s excursions can be purchased online. —Justin Franz 

The Livonia, Avon & Lakeville office car train is seen at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum on Friday. Photo by Otto Vondrak. 

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