Drought relief, by rail
Could emergency service that’s been used worldwide be applied on a massive scale for California?
Could emergency service that’s been used worldwide be applied on a massive scale for California?
Tools and techniques both new and old help railroads cope with weather extremes.
A wind-driven wildfire that grew to at least 30 acres on the west side of Spokane, Wash., on June 11 was quickly knocked down by two helicopter drops, fire teams from six agencies—and the rapid deployment of a BNSF Railway Fire Train.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 30, 2015 celebrated the completion of extensive restoration work on the historic brick depot in Sandpoint, Idaho, which serves as Amtrak’s only scheduled stop in the Gem State. In attendance were Idaho Senator Shawn Keough, a spokesperson for U.S. Representative Raul Labrador and Amtrak Director of Government Affairs-West Robert Eaton.
A bid for CSX does not suggest that all of CP’s growth potential lies eastward.
With utility losses stabilizing and global demand still strong, carloads are edging upward.
One of the more challenging capacity constraints affecting BNSF’s Northern Corridor is the 4,769-foot long bridge across Lake Pend Oreille outside Sandpoint, Idaho, not far from where BNSF and Montana Rail Link (MRL) converge. BNSF is now looking into the bold concept of building a second bridge, nearly a mile long, adjacent to the existing one.
Earlier this year, congestion and trackwork on its Northern Corridor forced BNSF to increase transit times for intermodal shipments between the Pacific Northwest and Chicago, a move which has driven some customers to ship via Union Pacific. Now, a segment of Northwest perishables traffic is looking elsewhere as well.