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 […]
Train Topic: Signals & Train Control
Belt Railway seeks signal-design proposals for CREATE’s 75th Street project
CHICAGO — The Belt Railway of Chicago has issued a Request for Proposals for preliminary signal design services for two portions of the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project, a major element of the CREATE Project on the city’s South Side. The proposal will cover Projects EW2 and P2. EW2 realigns Belt Junction, where four freight railroadsand […]
Five commuter rail systems receive grants for grade crossing safety
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 […]
MBTA’s Orange Line service to resume Monday as scheduled
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 […]
Fast-food workers hoped signal tampering would lead to ‘slow night,’ police say
TILDEN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Police have named a second person they say was involved in tampering with crossing gates on the Reading & Northern in August — and say the motivation was to create an easier night at the fast-food restaurant where they both worked. Ryan Boria, 34, of Tilden Township was arrested earlier this […]
MBTA begins work to repair Orange Line; first day’s commute sees no major problems
BOSTON — The Boston area’s first weekday commute since the shutdown of the rapid transit Orange Line went relatively smoothly Monday, according to news reports, with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority gearing up repair work along the 11-mile line that will be closed for 30 days. Boston.com reports that MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak, in […]
Major expansion of Waterbury Branch service part of new Metro-North schedule (updated)
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A substantial increase in weekday service on Metro-North’s Waterbury Branch and new express trains between New Haven and New York’s Grand Central Terminal highlight new schedules that took effect Sunday, July 10. Reflecting recent infrastructure upgrades, the number of weekday trains on the Waterbury Branch will go from 15 to 22, a […]
IBEW members accept arbitration, end strike against CN in Canada
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 […]
Federal funds available for grade crossing elimination or improvement
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 […]
New signals at Halethorpe
Baltimore & Ohio P-7 Pacific 5305 passes through the interlocking at Halethorpe, Md., as semaphore signals are being replaced by color position light signals. Warren E. Olt photo […]
CN announces plans for almost C$2 billion in Canadian capital projects
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 […]
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 […]