ORLANDO, Fla. — Brightline will resume testing at speeds up to 110 mph in Martin County, Fla., Wednesday through Friday of this week, June 21-23 — testing that will also impact the St. Lucie River drawbridge in Stuart, Fla. It had initially been scheduled to being today (Monday, June 19). Testing is scheduled for 6 […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
NJ Transit okays $19 million for PTC upgrades
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit will spend $19 million on upgrades to positive train control, keeping its system current with federal regulations and changes made by railroads used by the commuter operators’ trains. NJ.com reports the NJ Transit board approved the spending on June 14. It comes in the form of an amendment to an […]
Coast Guard bridge plan ignores practices elsewhere, realities of railroad operation: Analysis
STUART, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard’s recent decision to mandate scheduled openings for a St. Lucie River drawbridge does not reflect protocols successfully implemented to the south in Fort Lauderdale when Brightline trains first began frequent operation in May 2018. The “temporary deviation” from current rules published in the Federal Register calls for openings […]
NTSB releases witness list for East Palestine hearing
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board on Friday released the list of witnesses scheduled to appear at next week’s investigative hearing on the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment and hazardous material release in East Palestine, Ohio. That hearing is scheduled for June 22-23 at East Palestine High School and will deal with the decision […]
NTSB says slack action was probable cause of BNSF yard fatality
WASHINGTON — Slack action was the probable cause of the Feb. 9, 2022, death of a BNSF Railway remote control operator helper who fell from the front platform of his locomotive in Denver, the National Transportation Safety Board said today. “Surveillance video evidence reviewed by NTSB investigators shows slack action in the train consist at […]
Railroads file suit over California’s new locomotive emissions regulations
WASHINGTON — Railroads have filed suit against the California Air Resources Board’s new diesel locomotive emissions standards, arguing that the state body lacks the authority to implement the In-Use Locomotive rule. The Association of American Railroads and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, on behalf of their members, filed suit against the California […]
Senate committee sets hearing on nominees for Amtrak board, NTSB
WASHINGTON — The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing next week on three nominees for Amtrak’s board of directors, as well as a member of the National Transportation Safety Board. The hearing will be Wednesday, June 21, at 10 a.m. ET, the committee chair, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), announced. It will […]
BNSF Railway sets date for taking control of Montana Rail Link
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway aims to take over Montana Rail Link operations on Jan. 1, 2024. Federal regulators in March approved the early termination of Montana Rail Link’s lease of the former Northern Pacific main line between Jones Junction, Mont., and Sandpoint, Idaho. Although the Surface Transportation Board’s green light meant that BNSF […]
Swiss gauge-changing GPX trains back in service
INTERLAKEN, Switzerland — The innovative Golden Pass Express gauge-changing train is back in service after through operations were suspended in February. The train offers one-seat rides from Montreaux, on the shores of Lake Geneva, to Interlaken in the heart of the Swiss Alps. It runs on the mountainous meter-gauge Montreux Berner Oberland Bahn (abbreviated MOB) […]
Tri-Rail gets okay for test trains into Brightline Miami station
MIAMI — Commuter operator Tri-Rail has received clearance to begin running test trains into Brightline’s MiamiCentral station next week. WLRN public broadcasting reporter Danny Rivero has posted on Twitter a letter from Florida East Coast Railway that grants Tri-Rail’s parent, the South Florida Regional Transit Authority, authorization to run test trains into the Brightline station […]
NJ Transit, BLET reach settlement over 2022 sick-out
NEWARK, N.J. — The National Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen will pay $50,000 to NJ Transit to settle a claim over an illegal job action on last year’s Juneteenth holiday, the transit agency announced Thursday. Engineers did not report for their assignments on June 17, 2022, leading to the cancellation of nearly 300 trains. […]
NTSB issues final report on CTA employee fatality
WASHINGTON — A Chicago Transit Authority customer service assistant fell onto the electrified third rail when attempting to cross the right-of-way at the L’s La Salle/Van Buren station and died by electrocution, the National Transportation Safety Board says in its report on the July 16, 2022, accident. The final accident report was issued Thursday. The […]