Railroads Story Archives - Page 3 of 3 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Eastern Panhandle Rail Transit, Amtrak Set For Suspension During Nationwide Strike

The two largest railroad unions in the country, comprising a total of 57,000 workers, are set to go on strike Friday, prompting a nationwide rail shutdown and a logistics crisis. Some transit services, mostly in and around the Eastern Panhandle, could also be affected.

The dispute between the railroad companies and unions is over attendance policies that punish workers from attending important appointments like doctors’ visits or family emergencies.

The Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) MARC trains run on rails owned by CSX Transportation, one of the largest railroad companies in the U.S. CSX’s Brunswick Line, which runs MARC trains from Martinsburg to Washington, D.C., could end up suspending service starting Friday.

Information provided by the MDOT to West Virginia Public Broadcasting says the agency recommends passengers find alternate travel options, with recommendations posted on their website.

Amtrak also announced long-distance commuter routes based around the Washington region would be suspended as of Thursday morning.

This includes the Capitol Limited, which runs from D.C. to Chicago and includes stops in Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry. Amtrak’s Cardinal, which stops in the New River Gorge, Charleston and Huntington, will also be affected.

These are the latest changes announced since other long-distance Amtrak suspensions were made elsewhere in the nation beginning Monday, with some services in the Northeast Corridor, where Amtrak owns the tracks, still set to continue.

As Demand For Coal Rises, Not Enough Trains Ready To Move It

Tens of thousands of tons of coal rumble through West Virginia every day on their way to power plants or export terminals. Coal producers say there’s enough demand for coal right now to ship even more.

Most coal is transported by rail across the country, but there aren’t enough trains to move it.

Anthony Hatch, a veteran rail consultant based in New York, says railroads had little reason to invest in tracks, locomotives, railcars and workers in coal-producing regions.

“The railroads were going to invest less in their coal franchises for the same reasons that power plants were switching to gas,” he said. “Because of the long-term story.”

Hatch says no new coal cars have been built since 2015. Railcars can remain in service for 30 to 50 years.

U.S. coal production, and shipments by rail, peaked in 2008 at more than a billion tons. By 2020, coal production had fallen in half.

After hitting bottom in 2020, coal production went up in 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The challenges posed by COVID on top of years of steady decline may have caught railroads off-guard.

Like other industries during the pandemic, railroads have had trouble hiring. Train crews have to go through six to nine months of training. COVID has also sidelined workers at a time when they’re needed.

Companies that ship by rail have complained about delays – and not just for coal.

Railroads may not have long to take advantage of the renewed demand for coal. Past booms have lasted a few years, maybe a decade. But this one? No one really knows for sure.

“There’s debate even among the railroads that are major coal carriers about how long it lasts,” Hatch said.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts that coal will have another good year.

But it also predicts that coal will be in decline once more during the next several years. Many coal-burning power plants are scheduled to shut down before 2030. They’re becoming more expensive to operate and can’t compete with natural gas and renewables.

Meanwhile, railroads say they want to move more coal.

A spokeswoman for CSX, which operates 2,000 miles of track in West Virginia, says the company is committing more assets and personnel to address the issue.

April 14, 1875: Hallie Davis Marries Stephen Elkins, Creating Business Empire

On April 14, 1875, Hallie Davis married Stephen Elkins, bringing together two powerful political families. Hallie Davis was the eldest child of Henry Gassaway Davis, a U.S. senator and one of West Virginia’s richest men. She grew up primarily in the Mineral County town of Piedmont and in Frederick, Maryland. When she met Stephen Elkins, he was serving as a delegate to Congress from the New Mexico Territory. They later lived in Washington and New York.

Despite the fact that Davis was a Democrat and Elkins was a Republican, the two families created a business empire driven by coal, timber, and railroads. Since many of their investments were in West Virginia, the Elkinses relocated to the new town of Elkins and built a sprawling mansion named Halliehurst in 1890. In 1895, Stephen Elkins was elected to the U.S. Senate from West Virginia.

After his sudden death in 1911, the legislature appointed the Elkinses’ son Davis to fill his senate seat.

In 1926, Hallie Davis Elkins donated Halliehurst and a $25,000 endowment to Davis and Elkins College. She died in 1933 at age 78.

New Rail Cargo Facility Opens in West Virginia

Halfway between a Virginia seaside port and one of the busiest U.S. rail yards in Chicago, a new railroad facility has opened in Appalachia as officials look to drum up business in West Virginia and potentially diversify an economy that has relied on coal for decades.

The Heartland Intermodal Gateway terminal in Prichard recently opened on 76 acres donated by Norfolk Southern.

Owned by the West Virginia Port Authority, the terminal is designed to move containers more efficiently by rail through a double-stack method while offering a cheaper alternative to gas-guzzling trucks.

Neal Vance, executive director of the port authority, says officials hope the terminal can mirror the growth generated by other facilities in places like Front Royal,Virginia, and Greer, South Carolina.