Lemont, Ill., officials would like to see more commuter train service for residents this year, and believe it is a real possibility, according to the Lemont Reporter. But a number of things must happen first before the hope comes to fruition, including increased signalization and additional bi-passes along the railroad line to improve safety and ease freight congestion. There also is the construction of a train station in Romeoville and the approval from the railway that owns the tracks.

The Alaska Railroad Corporation Board of Directors has appointed ARRC Chief Finance Officer Bill O'Leary to serve as acting Chief Executive Officer of the Alaska Railroad, effective April 1, 2010. The decision came after the Board met March 25 to discuss the way forward in terms of railroad leadership after current President and CEO Pat Gamble asked for some transition time to prepare for his new job as University of Alaska system president, effective June 1, 2010.

Metra, the commuter rail service operator in northeastern Illinois, has unveiled a mobile website that is streamlined to be compatible with iPhones, Blackberries and any other portable web-enabled devices. The mobile site offers the most popular features of our regular site in a format that is easy to view on a portable device. Anyone using such a device to go to Metra's website at www.metrarail.com will automatically be routed to the alternative mobile site, although they will have the option of going to the regular site if they so choose.

All MAX light rail service across the Steel Bridge in Portland, Ore., will be interrupted Sunday night, March 28, for crews to install a new switch on the overhead power system. Work will begin at 7 p.m. until end of service. Service is expected to resume on Monday morning.

Track maintenance on the Red Line and an emergency drill at the Rosslyn Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange Line March 26-28 will cause inbound and outbound trains to take turns sharing one track. Customers should add 30 minutes to their trips.

The Illinois Commerce Commission approved the FY 2011-2015 Crossing Safety Improvement Program 5-Year Plan this month. The 5-Year Plan includes nearly $200 million in assistance from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund for safety improvements at more than 2,200 highway-rail crossings of roads and streets across the state in the next five years.

CSX Corporation said that proxy materials for its 2010 Annual Shareholders Meeting are now available to shareholders via the Internet under the Securities and Exchange Commission's Notice and Access rules. These materials, including the company's proxy statement and 2009 annual report, can be accessed on its website at http://investors.csx.com.

As it waits for the economy to improve, Union Pacific's construction plans are heading in two directions, The Arizona Republic reports. Although it has postponed plans to finish doubling its tracks in Arizona, the company has begun a $42-million upgrade to its existing rails.

In Matt Rose's 10 years at the helm of BNSF, he'd heard plenty of investors talk about quarterly performance. A few would even talk about the railroad's annual performance, Dan Reed writes in USA TODAY. Then on Feb. 12, he answered a call from Warren Buffett, the legendary investor who looks for long-term return and whose Berkshire Hathaway holding company had just closed on its $26-billion purchase of the 77 percent of BNSF shares it didn't already own.

Union Pacific will improve part of Kansas' transportation infrastructure with a $6-million investment to its rail line that runs from Wichita to near Caldwell, Kan.