Chao sworn in as Secretary of Transportation
Elaine Chao has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn in to serve as the 18th Secretary of Transportation.
Intercity
Amtrak names Feidt CFO
William N. Feidt will join Amtrak as executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO) effective Feb. 6, 2017.
House T&I Committee to tackle what is needed from infrastructure at first hearing
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold its first hearing of the 115th Congress next week and will explore how and what to build in order to meet the needs of the 21st century.
Massachusetts state senator urges White House to consider Springfield to Boston HSR line
A state senator from Massachusetts is requesting the Trump Administration to include a proposed high-speed rail line between Boston and Springfield on future infrastructure priority lists.
Testing begins on Brightline
BrightBlue, the first trainset for Brightline, began a testing phase Jan. 20 along a nine-mile test track.
Henderson named president of R.J. Corman Railroad Services; Rush to serve as SVP Commercial Development R.J. Corman Railroad Group
R. J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC, named Nathan Henderson as president of R. J. Corman Railroad Services, LLC, and of Noel Rush to serve as senior vice president Commercial Development, R.J. Corman Railroad Group effective immediately. Both will continue to report to R.J. Corman Railroad Group President and CEO Ed Quinn.
Sen. Menendez talks infrastructure priorities with USDOT Secretary-designate Chao
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) met with U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary-designate Elaine Chao on Jan. 18 to discuss infrastructure priorities, specifically, the Gateway Program.
FTA proposes directive to end stop signal overruns
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) published a proposed General Directive aimed at reducing the frequency of stop signal overruns in the rail transit industry.
South Shore Freight steps in to help stranded Indiana passengers
An estimated 5,500 Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) South Shore Line riders were stranded on Jan. 12 following a “severe flash freeze situation.”
USDOT report confirms significant backlog in infrastructure investment
A Congressionally-mandated report has found that U.S. infrastructure requires more investment to maintain existing systems, as well as tackle a significant backlog of repair work.
Testing on Port Defiance Bypass to begin next week
Testing will begin along a portion of the Port Defiance Bypass project in Washington state in mid January.
Illinois to Ohio passenger rail study to begin in January
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will begin an analysis in January 2017 of a proposal to bring passenger rail service between Chicago, Fort Wayne, Ind., and Columbus, Ohio.
FTA clears Met Council’s Southwest LRT project to enter engineering
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has approved the Metropolitan Council’s Southwest LRT Project’s (SWLRT) entry into the engineering phase.
Communities in three southern states to get federal funding for passenger rail service prep
The Southern Rail Commission (SRC) has allocated more than $2.47 million in Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) funding to 11 communities in three states to be used for improvements supporting potential restoration of passenger rail service.
Recommendation for new NEC would improve travel times; increase reliability
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) unveiled recommendations that would enhance the Northeast Corridor (NEC) over the next three decades; focusing on a state-of-good-repair before projects could be executed to enhance and improve service.
Crew member fatigue faulted for Union Pacific Hoxie accident
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) named crew member fatigue as the probable cause of a 2014 Union Pacific (UP) Hoxie, Ark., accident that killed two crew members and seriously injured two others.
Vossloh acquires Rocla Concrete Tie
Vossloh has acquired Rocla Concrete Tie, a manufacturer of concrete ties, switch ties, concrete low vibration track blocks and crossing panels.
UNLV awarded funds to establish high-speed rail UTC
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), will establish a new University Transportation Center (UTC) to study rail infrastructure with funds from a federal grant.
B&P Tunnel FEIS released
The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has been released for the B&P Tunnel replacement project, which would rebuild this critical link on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) that was originally built in 1873.
Chao Trump’s DOT Secretary choice
President-elect Donald Trump has named Elaine Chao as his choice for U.S. Transportation Secretary. Chao is a former Deputy Transportation Secretary and a former Labor Secretary, and wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) since 1993.