UPDATED APRIL 28: Rail Group Staff Report—Global railway industry response and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic

Following is a staff report from the editors at Railway Age, Railway Track & Structures and International Railway Journal that will be continuously updated with the latest developments surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 has Sound Transit’s capital plan reeling

As the COVID-19 pandemic chews a bigger hole in the purses of public transit agencies across the country, Sound Transit is taking a hard look at its capital plan and will be

AAR Research Review will be held in webinar format

To ensure that social distancing will not be an obstacle to sharing the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) important industry research, the 25th Annual AAR Research Review will be held in a new all-digital webinar format.

Association of American Railroads weekly traffic report

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending April 25, 2020. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 414,123 carloads and intermodal units,

Norfolk Southern reports Q1 2020 financial results

Norfolk Southern Corporation today reported first-quarter financial results of net income equal to $381 million, diluted earnings per share of $1.47, and an operating ratio of 78.4%. These results include a $385

railroad tracks

All aboard the dirt dump train! Hauling dirt between two projects in Maryland

Why have several dump trucks when you can have a dump train? Officials in New Windsor, Md., are seeing the benefits of using rail for a stormwater project, which began in mid-April

Some shippers facing shortage of preferred 20-foot containers

Watching an intermodal train roll by at track speed gives one a quick look at all of the different sizes of containers. Why are there different sizes? What are the economic factors

Groups that prefer light rail transit over tolls fight with N.J. officials

Instead of paying tolls, certain groups in New Jersey want to pay fares. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority did not have on its April 28 meeting agenda a toll plan to spend

Canadian National posts Q1 2020 financial results

Canadian National yesterday reported its financial and operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020. “CN’s team of dedicated railroaders has demonstrated the Company’s ability to overcome difficult situations and

Watch: Latest progress video on high-speed rail construction in Calif.

Progress continues to be made on high-speed rail construction in California. The California High Speed Rail Authority recently released video on construction near Kimberlina Road and S.R. 43. For the latest news,

InnoTrans to take place from April 27-30, 2021

On 21 April 2020, in order to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 the Senate of Berlin imposed a ban on staging large events, in particular trade fairs with an attendance of more

Herzog Contracting, Stacy and Witbeck, Inc. awarded streetcar extension project in K.C.

KC Streetcar Constructors (KCSC), a joint venture of Herzog Contracting Corp. and Stacy and Witbeck, Inc., has been awarded the Construction-Manager-at-Risk (CMAR) contract to begin preconstruction activities for the Kansas City Streetcar

Look: Metra fixes tightest track curve; workers wear masks during pandemic

Chicago Metra workers have been busy replacing the Canal Street crossing just north of Chicago’s Union Station. It is the tightest track curve in the system. Once completed, it will provide a

With venues opening in Georgia on April 27, MARTA will deal with a new challenge

On the eve of Georgia’s grand re-opening, the one the entire nation is talking about, MARTA has an incredible task on its hands. Last week the transit agency had its first COVID-19-related

Special Podcast Series—The Coronavirus and the Rail Industry: Amtrak responds to COVID-19

Highlights from Amtrak’s April 23, 2020 press conference with new President and CEO Bill Flynn, Board Chair Tony Coscia and Senior Executive Vice President Stephen Gardner. The three answer questions about Amtrak’s

Watch: Investigators try to determine cause of Pa. train derailment

A train derailment in Marysville, Perry County, Pa., was still on display on Friday as investigators work to find out exactly what happened. Crews and the Norfolk Southern police were looking into

California provides funding for “transformative” rail and public transportation projects

Seventeen “transformative” rail and public transportation projects in California received $500 million in capital grants from the California State Transportation Agency. The San Francisco Bay Area and southern California were the big

Norfolk Southern lays off 35 workers in Williamson, W.Va.

Norfolk Southern’s Williamson Yard, in the southwestern portion of West Virginia, right on the Kentucky border, has been hit pretty hard by layoffs during the past year. About a month ago, the

Canadian oil train derailments – broken rail may have been the culprit

Canadian Pacific has suffered two oil train derailments within the past several months. The first was in December 2019, and the second was in February 2020. The Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB)

Watch: RT&S 2020 Top Project White Pass Loop Project in finished form

Railway Track & Structures magazine has named the White Pass Loop Project in Alaska a 2020 Top Project. Yesterday a podcast was released interviewing Mark Taylor, Superintendent of Operations at White Pass

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