CN celebrated the official opening of its new C$14-million Toronto Automotive Compound at MacMillan Yard north of Toronto. The new facility's track layout will accommodate the unloading of 60 auto-carrying rail cars at once, compared with 27 unloading spots at the former compound at Mac Yard, and will have room to park up to 4,500 vehicles. A planned phase two expansion of the compound will provide parking for 6,000 cars and/or trucks.

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection has tentatively approved Amtrak's application to replace the Niantic River Bridge, bringing the railroad one step closer to getting all the permits it needs, according to The Day.

The look of Norfolk's light-rail starter line, scheduled to open in about a year, is starting to take shape, The Virginian-Pilot reports. Stations have been designed. Electrical poles and wires are going up. The pavement around embedded rail has been dyed red.

The New Mexico Rail Runner Express is ready to open its Lobo Special Events Platform. More than a year ago, the University of New Mexico and the Mid-Region Council of Governments collaborated on an idea to create a special events platform for Lobo Athletics. The MRCOG then worked with the governor and legislators to procure an additional half-million dollars in funding, and UNM matched that funding with another half-million dollars.

Beginning the week of Sept. 14, NJ TRANSIT will adjust weekday midday service on the Pascack Valley Line to accommodate necessary track work. NJ TRANSIT crews will make priority repairs to the Essex Street grade crossing in Hackensack to address damage to the crossing caused by a motor vehicle. While the track is out of service, NJ TRANSIT will also perform regular track maintenance on the line.

Standing trackside outside Metra's 80th Avenue Station in Tinley Park, Ill., recently, Tom Britt wasn't happy, the Chicago Tribune reports. "This station needs to be improved," said the Frankfort, Ill., resident, "desperately."

(The following editorial appeared in the Springfield, Ill., State Journal-Register.)

We are profoundly hopeful that today's Illinois high-speed rail summit in Chicago can bring about a plan in which this state can have a good shot at federal funds for a Chicago-St. Louis route without severely damaging this community's quality of life and future economic growth. But based on recent correspondence between Union Pacific and local officials, Union Pacific is going to need a fairly drastic attitude adjustment if that is to happen. So far, the railroad's attitude has been that Springfield needs to quit complaining about its plans because our objections might jeopardize the state's shot at $2 billion-plus in federal stimulus money for high-speed rail. It has been abetted in this attitude by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

At a ceremony in Cobourg, Ontario, Northumberland-Quinte West MP Rick Norlock, Mayor Peter Delanty and John Marginson, VIA Rail Canada's Chief Operating Officer, said VIA plans a new station with improved and expanded facilities. VIA estimates that it will invest as much as C$7 million for the new station and related improvements from recent capital funding for VIA announced by the Government of Canada. C$1 million of the project's cost will come from the government's Economic Action Plan.



PATCO is set to embark on a three-month project to both repave the roadway and repair concrete curbs for the access roads at six PATCO Stations in New Jersey. Work is scheduled to begin on September 14 at the Lindenwold Station, with work then proceeding west to Ashland, Haddonfield, Westmont, Collingswood and Ferry Avenue. At times the roadwork will require some traffic pattern changes at the Stations.

The Union Pacific sidetrack is under construction west of California, Mo., in the vicinity of Elkhorn Crossing, the California Democrat reports. When completed in December 2009, the 9,000-foot rail side track will allow two trains to pass, adding capacity and reducing delays for both rail freight shipments and the Amtrak Missouri River Runner trains between Kansas City and St. Louis.