U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

USDOT: Applications Welcome for $5.575B in Infrastructure Project Funding

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is now accepting infrastructure project applications for up to $5.575 billion in funding from three major discretionary grant programs. Applications are being solicited together under a single Notice

Reports: Cleanup, Investigation Under Way After Bridge Collapses Under MRL Train (UPDATED)

STILLWATER COUNTY, Mont. – A bridge collapse in Stillwater County, Mont., on June 24 sent a Montana Rail Link (MRL) train, hauling hot asphalt and molten sulfur, into the Yellowstone River below. The regional railroad is leading cleanup efforts and an investigation is under way by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

Will Short Lines Continue to Swing In The Wind? RT&S Commentary

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.

Stewart Southern Railway will receive $28,297 under the government of Saskatchewan’s 2023-24 Short Line Railway Improvement Program. (Government of Saskatchewan Photograph)

Saskatchewan Funding 13 Small-Road Infrastructure Projects

The government of Saskatchewan is awarding $530,000 in grants to 13 provincially regulated short lines for track upgrade and expansion, highway/rail grade crossing surface and sightline improvement, bridge maintenance, and other projects.

$1.16M Land Purchase to be Developed into Industrial Rail Park

WILLMAR, Minn. – The city of Willmar approved a purchase for land to be developed into an industrial rail park.

MDOT: $19MM in 2023 M-REP Grants

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has awarded the first round of funding in its 2023 Michigan Rail Enhancement Grant Program (M-REP). Twelve projects were selected to receive $19 million for “strategic

Donalds Reintroduces Legislation To Secure Disaster Relief For Short Line Railroads As Hurricane Season 2023 Begins

WASHINGTON – [Last week] Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) reintroduced H.R. 3782 – The Short Line Railroad Relief Act alongside Representatives Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Mike Bost (R-IL), Mary Miller (R-IL), Jake LaTurner (R-KS), Tracey Mann (R-KS),

Palmetto Railways’ Camp Hall Rail Line is Underway

SOUTH CAROLINA – Palmetto Railways Begins Construction on Camp Hall Rail Line in Berkeley County.

ICC OKs Highway/Rail Grade Crossing Projects

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has signed off on stipulated agreements to improve safety at highway/rail grade crossings in Bond, Champaign, Henry and St. Clair counties. Total cost: $3.17 million.

Report: ABS Boosting Yard Capacity in Tuscaloosa

Alabama Southern Railroad (ABS), a Watco subsidiary, is investing nearly $10 million to build a second rail yard in Tuscaloosa, Ala., according to a May 18 report in the Tuscaloosa Thread. The new

NCDOT Awards $2.1MM in FRRCSI Grants

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has awarded five Class II railroads in the state $2.1 million in matching grant funds through the Freight Rail & Rail Crossing Safety Improvement (FRRCSI) Program

Ohio Rail Commission: $750,000 for CUOH

The Ohio Rail Development Commission (Rail Commission) on May 11 approved a grant of up to $750,000 to Columbus & Ohio River Rail Road (CUOH), a Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. Company, to improve capacity at the Class II’s Newark Yard and mitigate the possibility of blocked railroad crossings in Zanesville, Ohio.

FRA Safety Bulletin Aims to Increase Awareness of Hand-Operated Main Track Switches

Following a train collision that occurred on April 16 involving a misaligned switch, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has released a Safety Bulletin to remind railroads about ways to “ensure safe operation of hand-operated main track switches.”

Team members of R. J. Corman Railroad Services Emergency. From left to right, Rob Ralcewicz, Austin Singer, Greg Feasel, Rodney Clayton, Austin Clayton, Mike Hahn, David Fields, Mike Buchanan, Colin Hill, and Tim Koon.

R.J. Corman Opens New Emergency Division in Maine

R.J. Corman Railroad Services, LLC, a subsidiary of R.J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC, has announced the establishment of a new Emergency Response Division in Waterville, Maine, which as of May 1, will provide support to customers in the Northeast region of the U.S., including Maine and surrounding states, the company reported on May 4.

BMWED, LS&I Ratify Agreement

A new collectively bargained agreement has been ratified by members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division-International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED) working at Michigan-based Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad (LS&I), the union

CARB Passes New In-Use Locomotive Regulation

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) on April 27 passed a new rule aimed at reducing emissions from locomotives when they operate within the state. According to CARB, under the In-Use Locomotive Regulation—the

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.

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.

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.

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

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