Pittsburgh to Study Rail Infrastructure, Derailment Prevention

Pittsburgh officials joined leaders from a half-dozen other Pennsylvania municipalities on March 7 in calling for an investigation into the region’s rail infrastructure and tighter regulations for railroad companies.

Women In Construction Week: Local 17 Journeyperson Details Her Sheet Metal Journey

Adrian Mobley of Boston, a local 17 sheet metal worker, took her time joining the trade. She attended college on a full soccer scholarship and worked as a nursing assistant for nine years before enrolling in the Building Pathways pre-apprenticeship program.

CHSRA Provides 2023 Project Update Report, Cost Estimates Balloon

The California High-Speed Rail Authority recently released its 2023 Project Update Report in order to fulfill its biennial requirement to update the California Legislature on the development and implementation of intercity high-speed rail service.

Pennsylvania’s Joint Rail Authority to Invest $8.9M in Rail Projects

Central Pennsylvania’s SEDA-Council of Governments Joint Rail Authority recently announced it will invest $8.9 million this year to update more than 200 miles of track and infrastructure.

Ian Jefferies, President and CEO, Association of American Railroads

AAR Outlines Key Class I Safety Actions

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) on March 8 reported seven initial steps the Class I railroads are taking “to drive toward a future with zero incidents and zero injuries—one where what

Valley Line LRT Bridge Pier Repairs Completed

Work is essentially complete on repairing several defective supporting piers on Stage 1 of Edmonton’s new Valley Line LRT. The piers support two short, elevated sections that carry the line across a

(Valley Metro Photograph)

Valley Metro Launches West Phoenix Transit Alternatives Study

Valley Metro and the city of Phoenix, Ariz., are conducting a study to evaluate high-capacity transit options—such as bus rapid transit (BRT), streetcar or light rail—in west Phoenix. The study area boundaries are

Maryland Transit Administration to Replace Pedestrian Bridge at Rogers Avenue Station 

The Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Transit Administration announced that construction on a pedestrian bridge at the Rogers Avenue Metro Subway Station would commence on March 6.

Council Approves Funds for Canadian Pacific, Alberta Rail Crossing Project

Mountain View County Council in central Alberta, Canada, has approved the allocation of CA$225,929 (US$165,966) to help support a rail crossing repair project in collaboration with Canadian Pacific Railway.

Amtrak to Provide Funds, Track Outages for NY Penn Station Access Infrastructure Project

Amtrak is collaborating with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to support the Penn Station Access Project on the Hell Gate Line, creating four new Metro-North stations in the Bronx and allowing Metro-North trains to travel to New York Penn Station.

Brightline Reaches 130mph, Completes CRISI Grant Program

After hitting speeds of 130 mph, Brightline is officially the fastest train in Florida and the Southeastern U.S.

Norfolk Southern announces six-point safety plan

ATLANTA–Norfolk Southern Corporation announced Monday a six-point plan to immediately enhance the safety of its operations. The initiatives are based on the preliminary findings of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) following the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment.

Alabama Railroad Spur Construction Complete, Service Begins for Facility

Alabama officials announced that construction of a local railroad spur has been completed.

AAR: Class I’s On Board With C3RS; FRA Data Points to ‘Strong Safety Record’

All seven North American Class I railroads have agreed to join the Federal Railroad Administration’s voluntary Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS), Association of American Railroads President and CEO Ian Jefferies said

FRA Publishes Scenario-Based Training, Drone Inspection Studies

The Federal Railroad Administration recently issued two new documents on scenario-based training and drone bridge inspection.

Union Pacific Highlights Derailment Prevention Efforts

To help keep trains on the tracks, Union Pacific employs technology, optimal response and maintenance methodologies, and an aggressive capital renewal strategy. Total Union Pacific derailments have decreased by 21% from 2019 to last year.

Seminole Gulf Railway Identifies Track Issue as Cause of Derailment

After six cars completely derailed from a Seminole Gulf Railway train in Bradenton on Feb. 28, a derailed Seminole Gulf Railway train car carrying 30,000 gallons of liquid propane gas in Manatee County is back on the track.

Work to Resume on Pittsburgh’s Mt. Lebanon Light-Rail Tunnel

Pittsburgh Regional Transit has announced that work inside the Mt. Lebanon light-rail tunnel will resume next week.

At the Ashton Creek Industrial Park in Virginia (pictured), Commonwealth Building Materials will use a new DRPT grant-supported rail spur to grow capacity for 1,365 new annual carloads.

DRPT Issues Rail Industrial Access Program Grant

The Ashton Creek Industrial Park LLC in Chesterfield County, Va., will receive a $450,000 Rail Industrial Access Program grant to support construction of a rail spur, to be served by CSX, according to the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), which administers the program.

CN is among the Rail Climate Change Adaptation Program award recipients, and will receive C$300,000 to develop a “Climate-Induced Ground Hazard Risk Assessment Tool.” (Photograph Courtesy of CN via Twitter)

Transport Canada Allocates C$5.4MM for Rail Resiliency

Transport Canada is distributing up to C$5.4 million to 20 infrastructure projects country-wide that it says will make railroads “more resilient to extreme weather risks.”

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