Grade-separation projects in Springfield, Ill., and Sheffield, Ala., are among the latest projects to receive grants under the Department of Transportation’s RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) program. In Springfield, a $19.8 million grant will fund an overpass at North Grand Avenue over Norfolk Southern and Illinois Midland rail lines. In a press […]
PITTSBURGH — Robert A. (Bob) Pietrandrea, a founder of Railroad Development Corp. along with RDC Board Chairman Henry Posner III, has retired from his position as president of the company, as well as vice chairman of holding company the Hawthorne Group. His retirement was effective July 29, 2022. Pietrandrea’s first job in railroading was as […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. freight rail traffic remains below 2021 levels both for the week and the year to date, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending Aug. 6, the total traffic of 496,526 carloads and intermodal units represented a 2.6% decline from the corresponding week in 2021. […]
YAZOO CITY, Miss. — Two rail-related projects are among three Mississippi awards under the RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) grant program announced by U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith. In all, three projects in the state will receive a total of $15.4 million in funding. Yazoo City will receive $12.6 million […]
ATLANTA — Efforts to address the company’s carbon footprint and those of its customers are highlighted in Norfolk Southern’s Environmental, Social, and Governance report, releases today (Aug. 10, 2022). The company’s sustainability efforts include creating a carbon calculator for shippers, designed to help them reduce carbon emissions in their supply chains; a sustainability summit at […]
DESHLER, Ohio — After years of neglect, the former Baltimore & Ohio railroad station in Deshler, the community known as “Crossroads of the B&O,” is coming down. The building last saw a passenger train in 1971, has been closed since the 1990s, and was damaged by a coal hopper in an April 2002 derailment. The […]
MIAMI — Brightline Holdings has received clearance to sell up to $1 billion of tax-free debt to finance its expansion to Orlando, Bloomberg reports. The board of the Florida Development Finance Corp. approved the financing Monday. Brightline, backed by Fortress Investment Group, expects to sell $785 million in short-term debt but could sell the full […]
BATON ROUGE, La. — The cities of Baton Rouge and Gonzales will receive $20 million in federal funding for stations for the proposed Baton Rouge-New Orleans passenger service, members of the Louisiana congressional delegation have announced. The funds, sought jointly by the two cities, will go toward land acquisition, design, and construction of the stations. […]
EUREKA, Calif. — Short line Mendocino Railway, which purchased the California Western Railroad and its Skunk Train operation after that company went bankrupt, has filed suit in federal court to over efforts by the City of Fort Bragg, Calif., and California Coastal Commission to apply state and local regulations to the railroad. The railroad is […]
PORT ARTHUR, Texas — The Port of Port Arthur has received a $13.6 million grant to turn an inactive rail yard into a new multimodal freight facility. The Port Arthur News reports the funds from the federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program will covert 25.5 acres of the rail yard into […]
MONTREAL — Exo, the Montreal-area commuter rail operator officially known as Réseau de transport metropolitan, will retire its remaining single-level passenger cars, 24 Bombardier-built 700-series cars similar to NJ Transit’s Comet II cars. The cars are currently used only on the 15.9-mile, nine-station Candiac line, but Exo’s social media advisor informed railfans this week that […]
PORT CLINTON, Pa. — The Reading & Northern has added “Crown Class” service to its Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway with the debut of coach No. 450, The Pagoda, a 1920s-vintage six-axle heavyweight coach built for the Illinois Central Railroad. The car, purchased in a bankruptcy auction of equipment of a subsidiary of Iowa Pacific Holdings, […]
