Never-used Talgo trainsets find buyer in Africa

Parked Talgo trainset

MILWAUKEE — The long-orphaned Talgo trainsets built but never used for extended Hiawatha service to Madison, Wis., have finally found a home. In Nigeria. The website Urban Milwaukee reports Talgo will sell the equipment to the Nigerian government. According to a press release, it will be for a new 23-mile, 11-station commuter line in the […]

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Plans set for new Genesee & Wyoming dispatching center

Orange and yellow logo of Genesee & Wyoming

ST. ALBANS, Vt. — Work is set to begin in April on a new dispatching center for short line company Genesee & Wyoming near downtown St. Albans, the Valley News reports. The 10,000-square-foot building, on a long-vacant site, will replace an older facility in the building. St. Albans City Manager Dominic Cloud said the company […]

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AAR head sees ‘disconnect’ in potential rail regulations

Man with suit and red tie

LOMBARD, Ill. — Ian Jefferies, CEO of the Association of American Railroads, says he isn’t concerned by idea of a “dynamic” regulatory group at the U.S. Surface Transportation board. “The [STB] chairman, Marty Oberman, has made it clear that he has a new hearing room, and he wants to use it, and he likes open […]

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BNSF unions threaten strike over attendance policy (updated)

Logos for BLET, SMART-TD unions

CLEVELAND — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation union, who work for the BNSF Railway, initiated steps to go on strike following the railroad’s announcement of its so-called “Hi-Viz” attendance policy. Collectively, the unions represent more than […]

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BNSF and NS may seek trackage rights over KCS as part of CPKC merger

Train with two locomotives and hopper cars on track parallelling street

WASHINGTON – BNSF Railway and Norfolk Southern may both seek trackage rights over Kansas City Southern routes in order to preserve competition as part of the proposed Canadian Pacific-KCS merger. The railroads disclosed their intentions in regulatory filings posted today on the Surface Transportation Board website. The board’s deadline for such responsive applications is Feb. […]

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LA Metro awarded $1.24 billion in pandemic funds

LA Metro light rail train on curving bridge

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been awarded $1.24 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help pay for expenses incurred by the agency during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Metro will use the America Rescue Plan Act funds to benefit riders, including seniors, persons with disabilities, low-income and transit dependent […]

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Maryland Purple light rail line will cost $1.4 billion more to finish

White interior of light rail car with purple seats

BALTIMORE – Maryland’s Purple Light Rail Line would begin carrying passengers in the Washington suburbs over four years late and cost an additional $1.4 billion to build under a proposed contract to complete the project, Maryland transportation officials said this week. The state’s cost of a broader agreement for a private concessionaire to build, operate, and […]

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New spent nuclear fuel escort railcar heads into final phase of testing

light blue boxy railcar

PUEBLO, Colo. – A new high-tech railcar developed by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Energy is moving from Oregon to the Association of American Railroads Transportation Technology Center test track near Pueblo for multiple-car testing. The Rail Escort Vehicle is designed to transport security personnel during the shipment of spent nuclear fuel and high-level […]

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