RT&S JULY 2023 ISSUE – The short line industry is being battered about these days by proposed federal legislation that is slow to move and overly aggressive state legislation that borders on being laughable.
WASHINGTON – A little over a week ago, RT&S reported that Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) reintroduced H.R. 3782 – The Short Line Railroad Relief Act with several of his colleagues. This legislation authorizes the establishment of a disaster relief program to provide much-needed immediate financial assistance to our nation’s short line railroads.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently issued a safety recommendation to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association about the importance of maintaining dynamic weather alert criteria in railroad operations.
A bundle of Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) awards have been announced to help short line companies maintain their lines.
[Yesterday], Caren Kraska, president and chairman of the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad (A&M), and a member of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), testified on behalf of the nation’s 600 Class II and III railroads.
Legislation has been introduced that could help short line railroad companies and passenger lines with their infrastructure projects. The Railroad Rehabilitation and Financing Innovation Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate that
The Fort Worth & Western Railroad, the Texas Northeastern Railway, the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad and the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad have requested that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) waive certain
Freightwaves is reporting that 2020 will likely see more mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the short line rail industry, as private equity firms become more aware of the value of rail infrastructure.
R. J. Corman Railroad Company has finalized an agreement to acquire the Nashville & Eastern Railroad Corp. (NERR), Nashville & Western Railroad Corp. (NWR), Transit Solutions Group, a commuter rail operation and
A report detailing the economic impact of the shortline industry found shortline railroads provide $6.5 billion in added value to the U.S. economy. The report also determined the positive impact the Short
The infrastructure needs and value brought by the shortline railroads in the United States were the topic of testimony given at two Congressional hearings this week.
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association marked a significant safety achievement as the industry’s 603 short line railroads operated for a full year fatality-free.
The 219-mile Heart of Georgia Railroad (HOG), Inc., will be under new ownership in the second quarter of 2017, following approval by the Surface Transportation Board.
Watco Companies purchased two west Texas shortlines from Iowa Pacific Holdings, LLC, May 18, 2015. Watco Transportation Services (WTS) entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Texas and New Mexico Railway and the West Texas Lubbock and Western Railway.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) late Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014 announced it “has signed an agreement with Pinsly Railroad Company of Westfield, Mass., to acquire certain subsidiaries that constitute Pinsly’s Arkansas Division (‘Pinsly Arkansas’) for $40 million in cash, subject to adjustment for final working capital.”
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) released a report outlining recommendations for short-term fixes to improve the reliability of the New Haven Line’s Walk Railroad Bridge in Norwalk, Conn.
U.S. Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), chair and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Transportation, respectively, urged U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to increase safety resources for shortline railroads, which make up one third of the nation’s rail network, but lack the funding and support that larger, Class 1 railroads receive.
The Senate Finance Committee passed legislation, Expiring Provisions Improvement Reform and Efficiency (EXPIRE) Act, on April 3 renewing a set of provisions known as “tax extenders.”
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is accepting applications through January 18, 2014, for recipients of $2.5 million to $3 million available in state grants through the Shortline Industrial Access Program (SIAP).
Watco Transportation Services named Jimmy Patterson general manager for the Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (KO). The former manager, Brad Hayes, will be managing the company’s Tampa, Colo., terminal location.
