FTA: $212.3MM Available for Emergency Relief Funding

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced March 27 that $212,301,048 in grants are available to apply for under the Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program (Emergency Relief Program) for states, territories, local government authorities, Indian tribes, and other FTA recipients affected by major declared disasters in calendar years 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

rail bridges

FRA: Safety Device, Human Error Caused Washington Derailment

A safety device intended to prevent trains from tumbling into Puget Sound forced a BNSF Railway train off the tracks last week, causing 3,100 gallons of diesel fuel to spill in Washington state, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

SEPTA Awards Design Contract for Broad Street ADA Improvements

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority on March 23 awarded a contract to move forward with accessibility enhancements at three subway stations.

BART Ridership Forecast Could Redefine South Bay Transit

One of the country’s largest infrastructure projects, carrying Bay Area Rapid Transit trains through downtown San Jose, is taking shape. Nevertheless, the number of passengers who will use the extension—and its future as a key component for regional transport—is becoming increasingly uncertain.

HDR Engineering

Texas MPO to Build Railroad Database, Identify Crossing Upgrades

In Texas, the Tyler City Council has authorized the Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to enter into an agreement with HDR Engineering, Inc. to create a railroad crossing analysis and inventory for each rail line in Smith County.

Trinity Railway Express Requests to Amend PTC System

Trinity Railway Express submitted a request for amendment to its Federal Railroad Administration-certified positive train control system on March 3.

TSB: Unstable Track Subgrade Indicated in 2020 Derailment Near Ignace, Ontario

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has released its investigative report (R20W0102) regarding the 2020 derailment of a Canadian Pacific Railway Company freight train near Ignace, Ontario.

SEPTA Requests to Amend PTC Plan, Seeks Approval of Railroad Signal System Modification

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority submitted a request for amendment to its Federal Railroad Administration-approved Positive Train Control Implementation Plan on Feb. 22.

MTA Pushes Ahead With $7.7B East Harlem Subway Extension

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority expects to launch construction on Phase 2 of its Second Avenue subway line into Manhattan’s East Harlem segment in 2024, assuming federal funding is allocated, according to Charles Gary, MTA’s deputy general counsel.

Minnesota Report Finds Governance Issues for Southwest Light Rail Project

A recent analysis of the Southwest Light Rail project identifies a number of governance challenges and recommends that the Minnesota Legislature rethink how large transit projects are planned, funded, and implemented.

CPKC Merger Approved – Updated March 17

As widely expected, the Surface Transportation Board has approved, with certain conditions, Canadian Pacific’s acquisition of Kansas City Southern to form Canadian Pacific Kansas City, North America’s first transnational railroad.

North County Transit’s Proposed Railroad Fence Awaits Decision More Than Two Years After Petition

More than two and a half years after the North County Transit District submitted its petition for a declaratory order regarding whether Del Mar gets a safety fence constructed along its 1.7 miles of blufftop railroad, the Surface Transportation Board has not yet provided a decision.

Brightline Seeks FRA Approval of Positive Train Control Safety Plan

Brightline is seeking Federal Railroad Administration approval of its Positive Train Control Safety Plan and certification of the agency’s Interoperable Electronic Train Management System as a mixed PTC system, according to documents the agency submitted to the FRA on Feb. 28.

NTSB Continues to Investigate Fatal Grade Crossing Crash between SUV, Brightline Train

The National Transportation Safety Board announced that it is continuing to investigate a recent grade crossing collision that occurred on Feb. 8, 2023, when a Nissan Rogue SUV was struck in Palm Beach County, Florida.

(Amtrak Photo)

Amtrak Kicking Off $6B B&P Tunnel Replacement Program

Amtrak on March 10 will start early construction work for the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program. The nearly 150-year-old, 1.4-mile tunnel that connects Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D.C., is a single point of

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.

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.

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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