In Portland, Ore., TriMet is requesting a mediator from the state’s Employment Relations Board (ERB) after the agency and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) failed to reach an agreement on wages and benefits.
U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) secured a commitment from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to deploy a new track inspection program to Casselton, the site where a recent derailment occurred and where four derailments have taken place in nine years.
BNSF has planned a capital commitment plan of approximately $5 billion for 2014, approximately a $1 billion increase over its 2013 capital spend.
The Port of Quincy in the state of Washington is partnering with the Great Northern Corridor Coalition to promote regional cooperation, planning and shared project implementation to improve the movement of rail freight along the Great Northern Corridor.
The Sooner Subdivision rail line between Del City and Sapulpa, Okla., garnered bids from four companies interested in purchasing the line.
In Portland, Ore., TriMet’s WES Commuter Rail celebrated its fifth anniversary with more people climbing on board than ever before. Since the line opened on February 2, 2009, riders have taken more than 1.9 million trips on WES. Ridership has climbed each year reaching more than 476,000 in 2013.
The Metra Board of Directors unanimously selected Donald Orseno, a lifelong railroader who has worked at Metra for more than three decades, as the next executive director/CEO of the Chicago suburban rail agency.
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has allocated $27 million in new funding to three projects that it says will improve passenger rail and further strengthen the state’s economy.
The Metropolitan Council released two draft reports prepared by independent consultants to examine important issues that affect the proposed Southwest light-rail line serving the communities of Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed an alternative process for 565 federally recognized Native American tribes to review positive train control (PTC) antennas in a public notice posted on the FCC website Jan. 29.
The Indiana Rail Road Company (INRD) and Pan Am Railways, Inc., have joined the Association of American Railroads (AAR) as new full members.
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. was awarded a contract from the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) to provide monitoring and technical assistance for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) grant and loan Program.
Union Pacific improved its public safety incident rate in 2013, demonstrating progress in enhancing safety for employees, customers and communities. The company’s 2013 public safety incident rate was 2.22, a seven percent improvement over the 2012 rate of 2.38.
The province of New Brunswick in Canada and Canadian National have reached an agreement to preserve freight rail service on the line in northern New Brunswick.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published a rule in the Jan. 24 edition of The Federal Register, amending the Federal Track Safety Standards to promote the safety of railroad operations by enhancing rail-flaw detection processes.
Watco Terminal and Port Services and Great Northern Project Development, L. P. (GNPD) are partnering together in the development and operation of a major multi-purpose rail transload terminal and railcar maintenance shop near South Heart, N.D.
CSX appointed Bryan Rhode to regional vice president, state government affairs in Virginia.
Kansas City Southern, the Anderson, Mo., Police Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol will host an Officer on a Train event January 22 to promote public safety at railroad crossings in Anderson.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) implemented a final rule it says will significantly cut red tape, while achieving better environmental outcomes, for certain transit and highway projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and spur them towards completion more quickly than in years past.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) and Ranking Member Nick Rahall, II (D-WV), have established the committee’s next special panel, which will focus on the use of and opportunities for public-private partnerships (P3s) across all modes of transportation, economic development, public buildings, water and maritime infrastructure and equipment.
