More Thursday morning rail news:
MTA survey finds 97% compliance with mask rule on subways
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority says 97% of subway passengers were complying with the agency’s mask order during a survey conducted Jan. 11-22, while 99% of those on buses were complying during a survey Jan. 4-8. The figures were released as the MTA began the latest version of its “Mask Force” effort to distribute masks and acknowledge those in compliance. “We are seeing very good compliance throughout system which means the majority of riders understand the importance of keeping themselves and everyone around them safe,” NYC Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg said in a press release. “We remind customers that if they have forgotten their masks we have them at station booths and in dispensers on buses and of course our Mask Force who has been instrumental in flattening the curve.”
North Bay, Ontario, calls on province to foillow through on restoration of ‘Northlander’
The North Bay, Ontario, Council is calling on Ontario’s provincial government to restore Northlander passenger service before the next provincial election in 2022. The North Bay Nugget reports the council unanimously passed a motion requesting Preimier Doug Ford and Transportation Minister Carolina Mulroney restore the Toronto-Cochrane, Ont., train, which was discontinued in 2012. The Progressive Conservative government pledged during the last election campaign to restore the service at a cost of $45 million, and the council seeks to have the government follow through before the next election. “I think it’s imperative that we … have them keep their word,” said Council member Mac Bain, who introduced the motion.
Custer derailment spilled almost 30,000 gallons of oil; cleanup could take years
Almost 30,000 gallons of crude oil were spilled as a result of the BNSF oil train derailment in Custer, Wash., on Dec. 22, the Blaine (Wash.) Northern Light reports. The Washington State Department of Ecology reports 28,962 gallons were burned, evaporated, or recovered, and the workers were unable to recover 5,400 to 8,000 galleons of the Bakken crude. Crews have installed a bioventing system that pipes oxygen into the ground and breaks down the remaining oil over time. The complete cleanup will take years, a DOE official told the newspaper. Five cars caught fire after the derailment; an investigation into the cause is continuing.
