Levine Leichtman Capital Partners acquires Regional Rail

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP), a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, has completed the acquisition of Regional Rail, LLC (Regional Rail), operator of shortline railroads and rail-related businesses in the United States.

INRD to perform crossing blitz for rail safety week

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has declared the week of Aug. 23-29 as Indiana Rail Safety Week and the Indiana Rail Road (INRD) is participating via a grade-crossing blitz in partnership with the Terre Haute Police Department and Indiana Operation Lifesaver.

UP’s California vegetation management efforts aimed at mitigating fire risk

Union Pacific is working with hundreds of local, municipal and volunteer fire departments in California to prevent fires along its right-of-way following four years of drought.

INRD cuts ribbon on new White River Bridge

Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Rep. Larry Bucshon (D-IN-8) and Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann celebrated August 20 at the grand opening of Indiana Rail Road’s (INRD) new White River Bridge.

UIUC opens RAIL to advance better track designs

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for its Research and Innovation Laboratory (RAIL) located at the Harry Schnabel, Jr., Lab.

SEPTA West Trenton passenger service to separate from CSX freight operations

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) will finalize separation of its West Trenton Regional Rail Line from a CSX freight line.

Mississippi Transportation Commission approves state rail grants


The Mississippi Transportation Commission (MTC) has given its approval for the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) to award $1.44 million in grants to several railroads across the state for maintenance and improvement projects.

BLET members ratify new contract with Indiana Southern


Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the Indiana Southern Railroad (ISRR) after 16 months of negotiations.

WSDOT resumes landslide mitigation work along Everett and Mukilteo rail lines

This week in Washington state, crews will start landslide mitigation work near Mukilteo and Everett to help limit landslides that disrupt passenger train service north of Seattle.

R.J. Corman takes possession of Carolina Southern; renovation of track underway

R. J. Corman Railroad Company took possession of the former Carolina Southern on August 17, but began moving equipment into place and clearing shrubs on the overgrown line two weeks before the deal was sealed in an effort to return the line to working order as quickly as possible.

Pennsylvania oil train safety report makes 27 recommendations

A report commissioned by Pennsylvania and written by Dr. Allan Zarembski evaluates the commonwealth’s freight rail system and makes 27 recommendations to improve the safety of oil by train.

CN’s Luc Jobin to steer railroad so Mongeau can focus on health

Canadian National‘s Claude Mongeau, president and chief executive officer, will soon undergo surgery to remove a rare type of precancerous soft-tissue tumour located in the upper left part of his larynx.

TNW completes logistics center upgrade

TNW Corporation (TNW), operator of shortline railroads and logistics centers, has completed a multimillion dollar upgrade at its Panhandle Logistics Center, which is located on the TXNW Railway complex in Sunray, Texas.

FRA report on PTC: Most railroads will miss deadline; enforcement will happen

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) sent its Status of Positive Train Control Implementation report to Congress Aug. 7.

Engineers share views on 2015 trends

For North American railroad engineering departments, safety is the top feature required in a piece of equipment, while dealing with tight work windows is a shared issue across both freight and passenger operations.

First U.S.-Mexico rail bridge in more than a century is now operational

The West Rail Bridge, the first rail bridge connecting U.S. and Mexico in more than 100 years, became operational August 7.

ACE provides grade separation updates

Legislators voiced support for the Alameda Corridor-East (ACE) rail-roadway grade-separation projects during a progress update briefing, which focused on six projects in construction or final design and located in the cities of San Gabriel, Industry and Pico Rivera and unincorporated Los Angeles County, including Rowland Heights.

Rep. McKinley tours Warwood Tool facility, discusses rail issues

On August 5, Rep. David B. McKinley (R-WV-1) joined representatives from Warwood Tool Company and the Appalachian & Ohio Railroad (A&O) to tour Warwood’s steel tool manufacturing facility and discuss public policy priorities for the business and rail communities in West Virginia.

One of nation’s “most dangerous” crossings gets safer

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-9), New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Commissioner Jamie Fox and New Jersey Transit Executive Director Ronnie Hakim unveiled safety improvements made to Midland Avenue railroad crossing in Elmwood Park Aug 3. The crossing was labeled as one of the nation’s most dangerous in a New York Times article in February.

Norfolk Southern EVP and CIO Deb Butler to retire

Deborah H. Butler, executive vice president planning and chief information officer of Norfolk Southern, will retire Oct. 1, 2015.

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