Virginia Railway Express to restore full schedule on June 1
Virginia Railway Express will restore service to pre-pandemic levels as of Tuesday, June 1, the commuter rail operator has announced. The agreement allowing VRE passengers to use some Amtrak trains remains suspended. Schedule information is available here. VRE reduced service to its “S” schedule, with four round trips daily instead of eight, because of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 17, 2020 [see “MBTA, VRE to reduce service …,” Trains News Wire, March 16, 2020].
Swiss firm Leclanché to provide batteries for CP hydrogen fuel cell locomotive
Swiss energy storage firm Leclanché will provide lithium-ion batteries and energy management software for Canadian Pacific’s hydrogen fuel cell locomotive, currently being developed in Calgary, Alberta. “This project further expands our addressable market to include electrification of the freight rail sector representing a major global opportunity for the reduction of greenhouse gases,” Leclanché CEO Anil Srivastava said in a press release, adding that the company is also looking to tap the freight rail market in Europe, Australia, Brazil, and South Africa. CP announced its plans to retrofit a diesel with hydrogen fuel cell technology in December 2020. CEO Keith Creel has said the engine should be operating next year [see “Canadian Pacific’s hydrogen locomotive should be operating in 2022 …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 30, 2021].
Railroad owned by Oregon county signs agreement for line rehabilitation
The Goose Lake Railway, operator of the rail line owned by Lake County, Ore., will begin work to rehabilitate the 54-mile former Southern Pacific branch between Lakeview, Ore., and Alturas, Calif., following completion of an agreement between the county and railroad. The Lake County Examiner reports the $10.6 million project has received $5.6 million in funding from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program. The railroad, currently limited to 10-mph operation, is “in critical need” of improvements, according to the agreement.
