BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will pay an additional $148 million to Chinese railcar manufacturer CRRC as part of an agreement to complete the order for its long-delayed, problem-plagued Red and Orange Line subway cars, the Boston Globe reports. That will push the total cost of the order to more than $1 billion. […]
KINGSTON, New York — The Catskill Mountain Railroad will use three grants from the New York State Department of Transportation to build a new engine house and connecting track, a new terminal at Basin Road, and an upgrade to reduce diesel locomotive emissions, the railroad has announced. The grants, totaling $4.485 million, were among those […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board today (March 29) announced it intended to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the 1.3-mile rail line proposed as part of the Puerto Verde Global Trade Bridge project to connect Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico. Green Eagle Railroad, a new short line, seeks to build a secure […]
WASHINGTON — The application process has begun for more than $2.4 billion in funding through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, or CRISI, grant program, the Federal Railroad Administration has announced. The Notice of Funding Opportunity issued today includes funding for Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024 and is available for projects to improve U.S. […]
LOS ANGELES — The long-awaited, much-needed people mover system at Los Angeles International Airport, which was originally expected to be finished this year, may not be complete until late 2025, the Los Angeles Times reports. The $2 billion, 2.25-mile automated, elevated rail system will connect airport terminals with parking lots, a new central rental car […]
BOSTON — A failure in a counterpin, a small switch part, led to the derailment of a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Red Line train on March 23, MBTA CEO Phillip Eng told a meeting of the agency’s board on Thursday. WCVB-TV reports the failure of that small pin allowed a larger pin connecting to a […]
CHICAGO — Three cars making their first appearance will highlight the tours of Pullman-built railcars offered as part of Pullman Railroad Days, set for June 1-2 at Pullman National Historic Park. Dover Harbor, built in 1923, is the only heavyweight car still in an original Pullman configuration that is fully operational for use on Amtrak […]
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill calling for a study to extend rail passenger service from Portland, Maine, to Bangor, via Lewiston, Auburn, and Waterville, was defeated this week in the state’s House of Representatives, CentralMaine.com reports. In a Wednesday vote, LD 860 was defeated 82-63, a week after the state Senate had approved the legislation […]
FAIRFIELD, Conn. — In a move to address a longstanding source of confusion, the Fairfield Metro station on Metro-North’s New Haven Line will be renamed Fairfield-Black Rock, local and Connecticut Department of Transportation officials have announced. The station in question, which opened in December 2011, is approximately 1.7 miles northeast of the downtown Fairfield station. Commuters […]
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — A former Caltrain official, as well as a former contractor for the commuter agency, are facing felony charges after allegedly spending public funds to secretly build themselves small apartments inside two of the agency’s train stations, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Joseph Vincent Navarro, 66, formerly of the Bay Area […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has named the inaugural members of its Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, which will help the board address issues affecting passenger rail service. More than 90 people had been nominated or nominated themselves to serve under a range of categories [see “STB passenger advisory committee has no shortage of nominees,” […]
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A study on the potential return of passenger service to Allentown, Pa., by Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation and consulting firm WSP was released Wednesday, narrowing from 12 to five the potential routes such service might take. The full 60-page study, available here, provides a roadmap for the process it would take to […]
