NEW YORK — More than a decade after it was first projected to begin — and after more than three weeks of ventilation-fan issues that delayed a final effort to open before the end of 2022 — New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority will open its East Side Access project on Wednesday, bringing Long Island Rail […]
Section: News Wire
CSX train derails in Ohio
GREENWICH, Ohio — Twenty cars of a CSX Transportation freight train derailed around midday Monday in Greenwich. There were no reports of injuries or of incidents involving cargo, but a power outage was reported in the area. WYKC-TV reports about 100 people were left without power. Images on the station’s website show the incident occurred […]
Pacific Surfliner to resume weekend service between LA, San Diego on Feb. 4
ORANGE, Calif. — Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service between Los Angeles and San Diego, suspended since Sept. 30 because of an unstable hillside in San Clemente, Calif., will be restored on weekends beginning Feb. 4. In announcing the partial restoration of service, the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Corridor Agency said tracks in the San Clemente […]
Montreal, Quebec to spend more than $500 million to begin upgrades to Metro train control system
MONTREAL — The city of Montreal and the province of Quebec will spend more than C$565 million to begin operational upgrades on the city’s Metro system. CTV News reports the money will equip the Metro Blue Line with a new train control system, better managing spacing between trains, train speed, and track changes. Similar improvements […]
Amtrak offering scholarship to high school, college students
WASHINGTON — Amtrak will award 11 scholarships to “advance the future of rail” through the Amtrak Scholarship Program, intended to help full-time undergraduate and graduate students who are passionate about rail. “As we continue to revolutionize the Amtrak experience, hiring to address significant demand is essential,” Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Qiana Spain […]
‘Tracks to the Future’ high school rail engineering program sets summer 2023 dates
HOUGHTON, Mich. — Tracks to the Future, the summer railroad transportation and engineering program for high school students, has set the dates for two sessions of its program to be held at six college campuses across the country. The program is free to students thanks to sponsorship by the Federal Railroad Administration through a workforce […]
RINA, multinational certification and engineering firm, acquires Patrick Engineering
GENOA, Italy — RINA, a multinational inspection, certification, and engineering consulting organization, will enter the North American infrastructure market following its acquisition of Patrick Engineering Ltd., a Chicago-based engineering consulting company specializing in infrastructure, transport, and renewable energy. The acquisition announced Monday brings RINA an organization with 19 offices and 340 employees, mostly in the […]
Track conditions on short stretch of main line in Nevada prompt UP to seek permission to temporarily deactivate signals and CTC
WASHINGTON – Union Pacific has asked the Federal Railroad Administration for permission to temporarily deactivate the centralized traffic control on a 13.4-mile section of its Winnemucca Subdivision in Nevada, saying that windblown sand and soil has made the signal system unreliable. UP says it can’t make repairs until spring because the track structure is frozen […]
MARS notebook: STB chairman talks about processes, shipper testimony
LOMBARD, Ill. — A few notes from the recently concluded winter meeting of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers: Oberman’s frustrations: During his Q&A session led by Eric Jakubowski of Anacostia Rail Holdings, Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman talked a bit about the processes under which the board works. One interesting note regarded […]
Facing opposition to bypass plan, Canada’s Transport Minister visits Lac-Mégantic
LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec —Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra made an unannounced visit to the Lac-Mégantic area late last week, facing continuing resistance to some land acquisitions needed to reroute Canadian Pacific’s line around the community devastated by a 2013 derailment and fire. In a statement released after the visit on Thursday, Jan. 19, Transport Canada said […]
Extending Caltrain, high speed route 1.3 miles into downtown San Francisco to cost $6.7 billion, agency says
SAN FRANCISCO — A 1.3-mile extension of Caltrain and California’s high-speed rail line to a transit center in downtown San Francisco would cost $6.7 billion, according to a new estimate from the agency which would oversee the project. The San Jose Mercury News reports the figure from the Transbay Joint Powers Authority represents a 34% […]
North Dakota hearing continues fight over BNSF Bismarck rail bridge
BISMARCK, N.D. — As part of its long-running effort to prevent BNSF Railway from replacing a 140-year-old bridge over the Missouri River, a preservation group argued in a Friday hearing against granting a state permit needed for the project. The Bismarck Tribune reports the group Friends of the Rail Bridge argued in the hearing before […]