SAN DIEGO — The North County Transit District’s Sprinter commuter rail line between Escondido and Oceanside will receive $7 million in federal funding for signal improvements, the first phase of a program to allow frequencies on the 22-mile, 15-station line to double from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports […]
Train Topic: Signals & Train Control
Caltrain to receive $43 million in federal funds for electrification
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Caltrain will receive $43 million for its electrification project from the omnibus spending bill passed by Congress and awaiting the signature of President Joe Biden, the commuter rail agency said. The federal money will help fill a funding gap in the project expected to be completed in 2024. “The electrification of […]
Safety commission has reservations about return of DC Metrorail automation
WASHINGTON — The independent body that oversees DC Metrorail safety issues has indicated reservations about the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s plan to restore automated operation of Metrorail trains, which was disengaged following a fatal collision in 2009. The Washington Post reports the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission says it will work with WMATA on the […]
DC Metrorail seeks return to automated train operation
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 […]
Alstom demonstrates autonomous operation of switcher in Europe
BREDA, Netherlands — Alstom says it has demonstrated fully autonomous operation for a switching locomotive in the Netherlands — with starting, movement, stopping, and handling of unexpected obstacles without involvement of on-train staff. The company says this week’s announcement concludes a series of tests that are part of a partnership with Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail and […]
FRA grants safety waiver, aiding effort to open LIRR terminal under Grand Central
NEW YORK — The Federal Railroad Administration will grant a waiver allowing the Long Island Rail Road to open its route to the new Grand Central Madison terminal without installation of equipment to prevent Amtrak trains from inadvertently taking the wrong route, the New York Post reports. The move should allow the long-delayed terminal, some […]
Ball signal at Whitefield, N.H.
As the caboose of a Maine Central train passes, the operator resets the ball signals at the Maine Central/Boston & Maine crossing at Whitefield, N.H., in 1979. This was the last surviving ball signal in commercial use on a U.S. railroad. Ben Bachman photo […]
Famed Texas Tower 55 being demolished
FORT WORTH, Texas – Union Pacific’s Tower 55 in Forth Worth, which once controlled the busiest railroad junction in Texas, is being demolished this week. Demolition work began Nov. 14. Originally a wood structure, it was replaced by a three-story brick structure in the 1930s. As railroads expanded in Texas, several railroads reached Forth Worth. […]
Metrolink breaks ground on Burbank Junction improvements
BURBANK — LA-area commuter rail operator Metrolink broke ground Wednesday (Nov. 9) at its Burbank-Downtown station for its Burbank Junction Speed Improvement Project. The work will improve operations at the spot where its Ventura County and Antelope Valley lines meet. The Burbank Junction Speed Improvement Project, located north of the Burbank-Downtown Station, will realign a […]
Two rail issues included on Watchlist from Transportation Safety Board of Canada
GATINEAU, Quebec — Two rail-specific issues — failure by crew members to follow railway signal indications, and unplanned or uncontrolled equipment movements — are on the 2022 Watchlist of leading safety issues released Wednesday, Oct. 26, by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Three other issues on the eight-item list — fatigue, safety management, and […]
Brightline to begin 79-mph testing in Brevard County
COCOA, Fla.— Brightline is scheduled begin higher-speed testing on another segment of its route to Orlando as of this Saturday, a 13-mile portion of track in north Brevard County that will see 79 mph testing beginning this Saturday and 110-mph testing in early 2023. During testing, flaggers will be stationed at a total of 18 […]
MBTA needs an additional $1 billion for Orange, Red line improvements
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority needs another $1 billion to complete infrastructure improvements on its rapid-transit Orange and Red lines, the Boston Herald reports. That’s beyond the $1.6 billion already budgeted in its capital investment plan. While the agency recently completed a 30-day shutdown of the Orange Line to address pressing maintenance needs, […]