WASHINGTON –– [This week], the National Transportation Safety Board applauded a new Federal Transit Administration final rule aimed at protecting rail transit roadway workers.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) [this week] announced more than $2.4 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for 122 rail improvement projects in 41 states and Washington, D.C. These projects will make rail safer, more reliable, and more resilient, getting goods and people where they need to be quickly with fewer disruptions, lower shipping costs and less pollution.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is issuing a regulation to make transit workers safer, nationwide, by mandating standards to protect them while working on transit railways. This is the latest action from the Biden-Harris Administration to protect transit workers, keeping them safer at work.
ATLANTA –– SMART-MD has ratified agreements with BNSF, CSX, and NS.
ATLANTA –– Jeffrey Watson, Vice President of Engineering at Genesee & Wyoming, has been chosen to receive the annual Railway Track & Structures Engineer of the Year Award for 2024.
FORT WORTH –– BNSF has issued an update on Hurricane Beryl impacts and recovery efforts.
PORTLAND, Maine –– Jerry Angier, historian, author, and long-time member and officer of the R&LHS, has died.
CHICAGO –– Stuart Grassie, Principal, Rail Measurement Ltd and Stuart Grassie Engineering Ltd, is the recipient of the 2024 Worth Award.
FORT WORTH ––In late January 2023, BNSF experienced historical flooding on our Bakersfield Subdivision in central California, with no indication of when the rains would stop.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. –– The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved a stipulated agreement to install new automated warning devices at three crossings in Galesburg and three in Marion County.
FORT WORTH –– BNSF has announced plans to build a 4,321-acre logistics hub in Maricopa County, near Phoenix, Ariz.
OMAHA –– Union Pacific has announced its schedule for Big Boy operation for the remainder of 2024.
JACKSONVILLE –– CSX announced this week that the company will remove the humps and make other infrastructure changes at its yards in Cumberland, Md., Willow, Ohio and Hamlet, N.C. yards.
SAN FRANCISCO –– Last week, we reported that Caltrain was in its final stages of testing it’s electric trains sets in anticipation of beginning revenue service this fall. They have now announced the date service will begin.
ATLANTA –– From the June 2024 Issue of Railway Track & Structures –– A Vendor Product Spotlight on Grade Crossing Surfacing Materials.
PITTSBURG, Kan. –– Railroad holding company Watco, which operates 45 short line railroads, has added a new line to its portfolio –– the Verdigris Southern (VESO), the company’s 46th road.
CHICAGO – I have just returned from the 29th annual Wheel/Rail Interaction Conference in Chicago, and the event exceeded my expectations.
PUEBLO, Colo. – MxV Rail welcomed more than 350 attendees including representatives from all Class 1 railroads, industry experts from across the globe, academia, and sponsor representatives to the 29th Annual AAR Research Review event held in Pueblo, Colo.
From Our Colleagues at Railway Age:
SAN CARLOS, Calif. ––Caltrain, with partners Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) and Balfour Beatty, have energized and tested the OCS (overhead catenary system) on the entire 51-mile Caltrain Electrification Project between San Francisco and San Jose. The next step is testing the system’s Stadler Rail-built EMUs (electric multiple-units) at maximum operating speed and prepare for electrified revenue service, expected to commence in September 2024.
ATLANTA –– Norfolk Southern Corporation announced Tuesday that it has reached a $600 million agreement in principle to resolve a consolidated class action lawsuit relating to the East Palestine derailment. If approved by the court, the agreement will resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile radius from the derailment and, for those residents who choose to participate, personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius from the derailment.
