Bill would give VIA trains right of preference over freights
A member of Parliament from British Columbia has introduced a bill that would give passenger trains statutory right of preference over freight traffic in Canada, addressing an issue that has plagued VIA RAIL CANADA since its inception. The legislation by Taylor Bachrach, an MP from Smithers, B.C., and member of the New Democratic Party, would set a maximum penalty of C$250,000 for each violation.
The first segment of Mexico’s controversial MAYA TRAIN project was inaugurated with a trip by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the project’s primary proponent, and other officials on Dec. 15, 2023. Limited regular service began the next day, with significant issues including trains departing up to five hours late. López Obrador also opened a second section on Dec. 31. Service began with significant amounts of infrastructure still unfinished. In between, service began on another route, the 188-mile INTEROCEANIC
RAILWAY across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The route linking the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico is intended to compete with the Panama Canal. First Maya Train departure, Government of Mexico
BNSF RAILWAY was sued by conservation groups in federal court in Montana over the deaths of grizzly bears hit by trains. The suit claimed the railroad had failed to complete a Habitat Conservation Plan in which it would commit to moves to decrease bear strikes. Such moves, the suit argued, could include systems with flashing lights and bells to scare off bears as trains approach; reduced operating speeds; and motionsensor alarms or electrified mats to keep bears off bridges.