The Central Florida Integrated Logistics Park is along the I-4 corridor and near a dedicated CSX Intermodal terminal. (Map Courtesy of the City of Winter Haven, Fla.)

Industrial Development Briefs: CSX, NS, BNSF

The city of Winter Haven, Fla., lands a $1.5 million grant to extend rail access within the Central Florida Integrated Logistics Park, which is served by CSX. Also, Norfolk Southern (NS)-partner The Anderson-DuBose Company breaks ground on a Tennessee distribution facility; and BNSF welcomes to its network ALCIVIA, which recently completed major construction milestones at its new train shuttle loading facility in Hager City, Wis.

Pictured: TTC’s Harvey Shop Building, part of the Hillcrest Complex in Toronto. The complex will be expanded to house about 25 more Alstom LRVs, part of a new 60-car order. (TTC Photograph)

Transit Briefs: TTC, Metra, Amtrak

Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) begins expanding its Hillcrest Complex to house new Alstom-built streetcars. Also, Chicago’s Metra considers renaming its regional/commuter rail lines; and Amtrak updates its mobile app for riders.

(Photographs Courtesy of the Respective Railroads)
Commentary

For Competing Railroads, What’s New Is Old

The reason we stay in school, pursue advanced degrees, merge and acquire competitors is to increase market power. The former two are celebrated by society, the latter two often derided negatively as

(UP Photograph)

Metra to STB: Ensure Passenger Service on UP Lines ‘Continues Uninterrupted’

Union Pacific (UP) has placed Metra’s regional/commuter rail service in Chicagoland “at risk by demanding” that it pay “economically unreasonable and monopolistic rates to continue using the UP Lines for its public service,” Metra wrote in a Surface Transportation Board (STB) application for terminal trackage rights that was submitted March 7.

(Union Pacific Photograph)
Commentary

Keeping UP Safe From Cyberthreats

Cyber risk management is complex. In the past year alone, our layers of defense stopped over 2 million pieces of malware from reaching Union Pacific (UP) devices. Our team of cybersecurity experts

Commentary

Former CEO Dick Davidson Recalls Living the ‘American Dream’ on the Railroad

Dick Davidson looks back on his life with a touch of amazement and a hefty helping of gratitude. At age 83, he still marvels at its trajectory: a Kansas boy raised by a single mother on a farm without indoor plumbing who joined the railroad as a brakeman to help pay for college and, after graduation, stayed to become chairman and CEO of Union Pacific Railroad.

An aerial view of the Mission Island Lands, a 183-acre industrial property in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where Frontier Lithium plans to build a lithium conversion facility. (Map Courtesy of CNW Group/Frontier Lithium Inc.)

Industrial Development Briefs: 5V/UP, Frontier Lithium/CPKC

5V, a newly formed partnership between Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, LLC and Viserion Grain, LLC, will develop a new Union Pacific (UP)-served facility in Dalhart, Tex. Also, Frontier Lithium has closed on the acquisition of a Thunder Bay, Ontario-based industrial site, with access to Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) service.

“At Norfolk Southern, we are leveraging cutting-edge AI and enhanced imaging to set new industry standards for safety and operational excellence,” EVP and Chief Information and Digital Officer Anil Bhatt reported via LinkedIn on March 3. “Our Digital Train Inspection portals are a testament to this innovation—combining advanced AI algorithms, developed by our Data Scientists in close collaboration with our Mechanical experts, to analyze railcars at full speed. Each portal captures approximately 1,000 images per passing railcar, generating petabytes of data every month. This vast dataset is processed in real-time by AI models that detect emerging conditions with precision, helping our teams take proactive action.” (Photograph Courtesy of Anil Bhatt)

Class I Briefs: NS, UP

Norfolk Southern (NS) achieves a milestone with its Digital Train Inspection Portal and launches an employee-focused branding campaign. Also, Union Pacific (UP) supports an Illinois nonprofit that empowers U.S. veterans.

Watco Completes Major Projects in 2024

Last year, Watco partnered with government agencies, customers, and others to maintain infrastructure and grow freight opportunities across its network.

(CPKC Photograph)

Rail-Served Grain Facilities Coming Online, Earning Awards

Viterra recently broke ground on its newest grain elevator in Dalhart, Tex., to be served by Union Pacific (UP), and G3 Canada announced plans to build a new grain terminal at the

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