CHICAGO — Commuter rail operator Metra has released a proposed 2023 operating budget of $980 million that includes several options for continuing to discount monthly passes and simplifying other aspects of its fare structure, as well as plans for more than $500 million in capital spending. The agency is also soliciting comment on a newly […]
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Canadian government on Thursday announced a series of steps to streamline shipping regulations and improve use of digital information in Canada’s supply chain, moves Transport Minister Omar Alghabra described as “a first step toward addressing recommendations by the National Supply Chain task force.” The moves announced Thursday, backed by a government […]
TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Cleanup continued Thursday after about a dozen cars of an Eastern Idaho Railroad derailed Wednesday night, KMTV reports. No injuries or hazardous-materials situation were reported as a result of the accident, which blocked Hankins Road in the southern Idaho community. The Eastern Idaho Railroad, a Watco property, operates 385 route-miles in […]
PITTSBURGH — Wabtec Corp. has signed a five-year agreement with European equipment leasing firm Akiem to provide maintenance of critical components for Akiem locomotive fleets, the companies have announced. The agreement covers brake components, pantographs, and HVAC systems for Alstom-built Prima and Traxx locomotives in France and Germany, and aims to maximize equipment availability for […]
WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board has created a passenger rail office that will be responsible for investigating and analyzing Amtrak on-time performance on host railroads. The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 authorizes the STB to investigate the causes of substandard passenger rail on-time performance, to identify mitigating measures, and, under specified […]
DURANGO, Colo. – A Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad crew helped rescue a missing hiker on Monday. The Durango Herald reports that a passenger on a northbound train spotted a woman waving frantically from the opposite bank of the Animas River about five miles south of Silverton. The passenger notified the crew, which in […]
FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Members of the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, which represents 2,400 workers, have ratified their tentative contract agreement with the U.S. Class I railroads. The vote was passed with a 58.7% margin in favor of the contract recommendations made by the Presidential Emergency Board, the union announced on Thursday. “The […]
WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board on Tuesday granted a request from all parties involved to extend by 14 days the board-sponsored mediation regarding Amtrak’s effort to launch Gulf Coast passenger service. Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority will continue to talk through Oct. 25. All parties agreed that “an […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has announced the availability of $600 million for new subway, light rail, and commuter railcars under its Rail Vehicle Replacement Program, part of $1.5 billion over the next five years under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. “One-third of subway and commuter rail vehicles are more than 25 years old,” FTA […]
WASHINGTON – The membership of the SMART Railroad, Mechanical and Engineering Department (SMART MD) has voted to ratify a tentative agreement with the U.S. Class I railroads, the union announced on Wednesday. The contract passed with 54% of the rank and file voting in favor of the deal. The ratified contract includes historic wage increases, […]
CHICAGO — BNSF Railway has been ordered to pay $228 million in a federal class-action lawsuit after a jury found that the railroad violated Illinois state law by collecting employee fingerprints without prior consent. The decision is the first in a case involving the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act, the first law passed by a […]
SEATTLE — More than 80% of U.S. transit agencies say their ability to provide service is being affected by a shortage of workers, an impact felt regardless of the size of the operation’s ridership, equipment fleet, or service-area population, according to a new report from the American Public Transportation Association. The APTA report, “Transit Workforce […]
