NTSB Identifies Probable Cause in 2021 Worker Fatality in Texas

The National Transportation Safety Board has issued Railroad Investigation Report 23/04 for the investigation of an accident on Sept. 22, 2021, involving an equipment operator who was struck and killed by a load of steel he was transporting by a roadway maintenance machine near Castroville, Texas.

FRA Accepts WYDOT Grant Request to Replace I-80 Bridges

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has announced that the Federal Railroad Administration has accepted a multi-million dollar grant request to replace two bridges on Interstate 80 that cross over the Union Pacific Railroad.

Swing span bridge over Siuslaw River.

Coos Bay Rail Line to Undergo Bridge Rehabilitation

The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay has received an award of $20 million from the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program to support rehabilitation of 15 bridge structures along the 134-mile Port-owned and operated Coos Bay Rail Line.

FRA Awards Automated Track Inspection Program Contract to ENSCO 

ENSCO Inc., a provider of railway track inspection and measurement technology, has announced that the Federal Railroad Administration has awarded it a new five-year contract to carry out its Automated Track Inspection Program.

CPKC Drives Ceremonial Final Spike, Joining Three Nations

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) on April 14 became the first single-line, transnational railway connecting Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, marked by a ceremonial Final Spike driving in Kansas City, Mo. The

NTSB: Fractured Rail Identified in Fiery BNSF Minnesota Derailment

BNSF railroad is analyzing a section of fractured rail following last month’s fiery derailment that forced evacuations in southwest Minnesota, federal investigators said; however they have not officially concluded that the broken rail caused the crash.

NS Reaches East Palestine Clean-Up Milestone

Norfolk Southern (NS) on April 15, nearly two-and-a-half months after the Feb. 3 East Palestine, Ohio derailment, announced that it has completed excavation of the impacted soil beneath the removed south track, and will

Genesee & Wyoming Workforce Votes to Join BMWED Union

Approximately 70 maintenance of way employees from Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Engineering Services voted April 13 to join the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes. The new members are the first of the G&W’s mobile gangs to join the Brotherhood.

Federal Officials Tour Coastal Erosion in San Clemente, Del Mar

Another top federal official visited Southern California on April 13 to see two places where the vital coastal railroad is threatened by erosion.

“Tampers and stoneblowers are track maintenance machines that make sure the track is correctly aligned and has a smooth level along the rail,” according to Network Rail. “They help to prevent the risk of trains derailing, and ensure smooth, comfortable journeys for passengers and freight trains. These machines generally work at night when no passenger trains are running.” (Network Rail Image)

Harsco Rail Lands Network Rail O&M Contract

Harsco Corporation on April 5 reported that its Rail division has been awarded a five-year, more than $130 million stoneblower operation and maintenance (O&M) contract from Network Rail, which owns, operates and

The Norfolk Southern Data Science and Engineering teams were presented with a 2023 Innovation-Driven Company award at the Technology Association of Georgia Technology Awards ceremony on March 29. (NS Photograph)

NS Takes Home Technology Innovation Awards

Norfolk Southern (NS) late last month was presented with 2023 “Innovation-Driven Company” awards from the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) for its rail wear predictive analytics and digital train inspection programs.

Union Pacific Works to Shore Up Great Salt Lake

The Great Salt Lake, which is home to 338 bird species, is also home to Union Pacific’s Great Salt Lake causeway, a 20-mile-long raised rock-filled railroad track.

PUCO Approves Rail Crossing Upgrades in Hamilton County

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) on Mach 22 approved safety upgrades at a rail crossing in Hamilton County.

Engineering Partnership, Local First Nations to Mitigate Wetland Geotechnical Issues

With roughly 86,486,883 acres of wetland in Ontario, officials face unique issues when managing the operation and maintenance of railway lines.

The city of Decatur will receive a $10 million grant through the Illinois Competitive Freight Program for a grade separation project that will build a Brush College Road overpass at Faries Parkway and Norfolk Southern. (NS Photograph)

Illinois Awards $200MM in Freight Mobility Grants

In Illinois, 22 port, rail and highway projects will share $200 million in grant funding to address bottlenecks, increase mobility, and improve the supply chain up and down the state, Gov. JB

Construction on the Foothill Gold Line light rail project from Glendora to Pomana, Calif., is more than two-thirds’ complete. (Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority Photograph)

LA Metro’s Foothill Gold Line Project Marks Milestone

All reconstruction work requiring long-term street closures is now finished for the 21 at-grade crossings along Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LA Metro) Foothill Gold Line light rail project. This is

Conrail is receiving a $5 million grant from the NJDOT for its Garden State Secondary Fluidity Improvements-Phase 1 project. (Conrail Photograph)

MnDOT, NJDOT Award $35MM in Freight Rail Improvement Grants

The departments of transportation in Minnesota (MnDOT) and New Jersey (NJDOT) are investing $6.95 million and $27.8 million, respectively, in projects that will improve freight rail infrastructure.

Alberta Explores Reinstating Shortline Rail in Oyen

The Alberta Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 23 with Oyen Regional Rail Company, Special Areas and Oyen Development Corporation and Canada Infrastructure Bank to support their assessment of whether the rail line between Oyen and Lyalta should be restored.

ICC Approves Annual Crossing Safety Improvement Program; Greenlights Automatic Warning Device Projects

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) announced March 24 that it has approved its annual five-year Crossing Safety Improvement Program (FY 2024-2028) to implement highway-rail safety projects at local roads across the state. More than $476 million dollars from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund (GCPF) and Rebuild Illinois (RBI) will help communities and railroads pay for improvements at 424 crossing locations.

MnDOT: $151.4MM Needed to Renew, Expand Minnesota’s Freight Rail System

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has released its 2023-2028 Forecast, focusing on the $151.4 million in funding required to go toward planned local projects needing state support for rail and bridge upgrades, new industrial parks and job creation.

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