FRA study sees issues with locomotive cab automation

Image of computer screen

WASHINGTON — A Federal Railroad Administration-sponsored study on the use of locomotive cab automation systems found human errors occurred in three of 10 sessions in a locomotive simulator, and recommends further training on the systems for engineers, conductors and dispatchers. The study, “Human Error Analyses Associated with Locomotive Cab Automation,” also calls for further study […]

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Five commuter rail systems receive grants for grade crossing safety

Light blue locomotie with bilevel commuter cars crossing street

WASHINGTON — Five projects in four states will receive a total of $59 million for grade-crossing improvements through grants announced Tuesday under the Federal Highway Adminstration’s Commuter Authority Safety Rail Safety Improvement, or CARSI, program. “These grants show how multi-modal coordination and investment will improve safety for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians traveling where roads and […]

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MBTA’s Orange Line service to resume Monday as scheduled

Subway train at nearly empty station

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s 30-day shut down of the Orange Line — the second most-used route on the MBTA rail rapid-transit system — will reopen as scheduled on Monday morning after a 30-day shutdown, MBTA officials said Sunday. The unprecedented shutdown led to significant disruptions for commuters, but also allowed the transit […]

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IBEW members accept arbitration, end strike against CN in Canada

Canadian National logo

MONTREAL — The strike in Canada by members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers against Canadian National Railway has ended. CN announced Monday that the union, which represents about 750 signal and communications workers, has agreed to binding arbitration, bringing an end to the strike at 12:01 a.m. EDT today (July 5, 2022). Those […]

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Federal funds available for grade crossing elimination or improvement

U.S. Department of Transportation logo

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation is offering more than $573 million in grant funding this fiscal year to address grade-crossing issues as part of its Railroad Crossing Elimination Program, created as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed and signed in November 2021. The competitive discretionary grant program, administered by the Federal Railroad […]

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CN announces plans for almost C$2 billion in Canadian capital projects

Canadian National logo

MONTREAL — Canadian National has released Canadian capital spending plans on a province-by-province basis, with total spending projected at C$1.92 billion. “We continue to make significant investments in our network and technology,” Sean Finn, CN executive vice-president, Corporate Services, and chief legal officer, said in each press release announcing the provincial plans. “We are building […]

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Canadian National orders Wabtec’s new Precision Dispatch System

Canadian National is the first railway to order a new dispatching system that Wabtec says is a major building block toward network automation, the companies announced on June 6. The latest version of Wabtec’s Precision Dispatch System is scheduled to be operational at CN in late 2023. CN completed installation of an earlier version of […]

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