Federal court strikes down approval of Uinta Basin Railway project

Logo of Uinta Basin Railway

WASHINGTON — A federal court has struck down the Surface Transportation Board’s approval of the Uinta Basin Railway project, calling the decision allowing its construction “arbitrary and caprious.” The court also vacated the Environmental Impact Statement and a related document underlying that decision and sent the matter back to the STB. In granting the exemption […]

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Caltrain orders battery-electric trainset for trial operation

Red and white electric multiple-unit trainset under dramatic sunset

SAN MATEO, Calif. — Caltrain will purchase a battery-electric version of the Stadler electric multiple-unit passenger equipment it has purchased for its upcoming electrification, allowing operation beyond the limits of system electrification. The California Transportation Commission has approved the funding for the purchase of a single battery-electric trainset and related maintenance and charging facilities, Caltrain […]

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LA receives new subway cars

Stainless steel subway car with black and yellow nose

LOS ANGELES — LA Metro has received the first cars in an order of new subway equipment built by China’s CRRC, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. The 75-foot-long stainless steel HR4000 cars will be placed in service in six to eight months, a Metro spokesman told the Daily News in an email. They have […]

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Amtrak announces ‘Amtrak Gives Back’ program

Amtrak logo.

WASHINGTON — Amtrak on Thursday announced the launch of “Amtrak Gives Back,” which it calls “a community engagement program focused on being a good neighbor and valuable partner to the communities it serves.” The company will look to help non-profit organizations in communities served by the passenger operator, “including those that promote diversity and inclusion,” […]

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Ottawa light rail expansion project to see further delays

Construction on light rail line below roadway bridge

OTTAWA, Ontario — The reopening of Ottawa’s light rail Trillium Line, the diesel-powered, north-south route which has been closed since May 2020 for expansion, has been further delayed and will not come until “the end of the year,” the Ottawa Citizen reports. The 16-kilometer (9.9-mile), eight-station southward extension of the Trillium line was supposed to […]

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Weekly U.S. rail traffic ticks further downward

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type plus overall intermodal totals

WASHINGTON — Carload traffic showed more of a downward tick for the week ending Aug. 12, leading to a larger overall drop than has been the case recently for weekly U.S. rail traffic. The weekly figure of 472,498 carloads and intermodal units represented a 4.2% decrease from the same week in 2022, after several weeks […]

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