Regional Rail adds three Midwest short lines

Blue and white end-cab switcher

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. — Short line owner and operator Regional Rail LLC will add three railroads to its holdings, having agreed to acquire three Midwestern operations from Agracel Rail Holdings. The new additions are the Effingham Railroad Co., located in the Effingham (Ill.) Industrial Park, which offers interchange with Canadian National and CSX Transportation; the […]

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DC Metrorail seeks return to automated train operation

Rapid-transit train in underground statioin

WASHINGTON — The DC Metrorail system will seek to return to automated train operation, discontinued after a fatal train collision in 2009, according to a presentation to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board on Monday. The website DCist reports the presentation calls for the Red Line to be returned to Automatic Train Operation in […]

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Wabtec transit braking system receives certification

Logo of Wabtec Corp. Five-mind blowing facts — Wabtec

PITTSBURGH — A Wabtec brake technology for transit systems, designed to address wheel slide in low-adhesion situations such as can occur on wet or leaf-covered rails, has received European certification, allowing its use on new equipment as well as retrofitting onto existing mainline trains. The DistanceMaster Adaptive Wheel Slide Protection technology received certification from international […]

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Keolis names Shaw as chief operating officer for North America

Logo of Keolis North America

BOSTON — Steve Shaw has been named as chief operating officer for Keolis North America, the first person to hold that position for the company’s transit operations in the region. Shaw previously served as president and CEO of Keolis Transit America, overseeing bus operations across the U.S. “Steve’s experience in our industry and at Keolis […]

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Shareholder resolutions seek paid sick time for rail workers (updated)

Two men standing by train watch as another train goes by

NEW YORK – Investors who have launched shareholder resolutions seeking paid sick time for railroad employees say that the lack of paid sick days endangers workers’ health, threatens the economy, and has made it harder for railroads to retain their unionized employees. Activist investors today filed the non-binding shareholder resolutions requesting that Union Pacific and […]

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Massachusetts, Amtrak, CSX pursue grant for East-West Rail improvements

Map of proposed passenger route in Massachusetts

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Amtrak, and CSX Transportation are seeking $108 million in federal grants to improve the rail line between Springfield and Worcester, Mass., as part of the proposed East-West Rail project. The three entities announced the grant application Friday, MassLive.com reports, with the goal of adding two daily Amtrak […]

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