WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Surface Transportation Board (STB) member and Democrat Robert E. Primus, fired in August 2025 by POTUS 47, will not be returning to office following a June 29 Supreme Court ruling that Presidents have unfettered authority to terminate members of bipartisan independent (from the Executive Branch) federal agencies.
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Richard J. Kloster was sworn in today as the fourth member of the Surface Transportation Board. Mr. Kloster was confirmed by the Senate on May 18, 2026, for a term ending December 31, 2028. Kloster, a Republican, was nominated by POTUS 47 in September 2025.
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– This week, the AAR responded to a U.S. House Committee proposal to boost the Railway Safety Act.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Research, Development and Technology released a technical report on ballast and subgrade interactions.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation announced it will invest $2.04 billion into modernizing rail infrastructure across the country.
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) and the Alliance for Chemical Distribution (ACD) have filed separate letters with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) that respectively request all six Class I CEOs
TRENTON, N.J. – $26.3 million in FY26 Rail Freight Assistance Program grants were awarded through New Jersey’s State Transportation Fund.
ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the FY2026/2027 Georgia Freight Rail Program project applications.
ST. PAUL. Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) awarded $4.5 million to five rail projects across the state.
HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Office of Public-Private Partnerships (P3) is accepting proposals for transportation projects through April 30.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) approved two projects for grant funding and three additional projects for state funding to assist with completing applications for federal funding.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant program, $999.5 million in funding has been made available for infrastructure projects.
CHICAGO – Funds for CTA’s Red Line Extension (RLE) and Red & Purple Modernization Project (RPM) have been unfrozen.
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– In the opinion of the late President Ronald Regan, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Among railroaders, the phrase rang painfully and expensively true for most of the 20th century when the former Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) regulated railroads into the years the locust hath eaten. Things they have been a changin’ under ICC successor Surface Transportation Board (STB).
NEWINGTON, Conn. – The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) released the 2027-2030 draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
CHICAGO – On March 20, 2026, the Chicago Transit Authority filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to restore funding for the Red Line Extension (RLE) and Red & Purple Modernization (RPM) projects.
NEWINGTON, Conn. – The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) announced $20 million in infrastructure grants.
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– This week, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) released a statement supporting the Surface Transportation Board’s recent proposal to promote reciprocal switching.
HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) announced it will advance rule making to enhance railroad safety regulations in Pennsylvania.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved almost $1 million in upgrades for three crossings along BNSF’s track in Carroll and Ogle counties.
