Bells & Whistles—Homeowner gives a railroad company some trouble

Georgia lawmakers pass bill prohibiting crosstie burning in two counties. Road project in Boston will require tight fit for railroad tracks. A S.C. homeowner sues a railroad company over a yard project.

Canadian National derailment believed to have been caused by sun kink

One of the dreaded aspects of railroading in the summertime is outside temperatures getting so hot that a rail event called a “sun kink” occurs along the track. While the railroads do

Rail Ties from Koppers

Georgia bill prohibiting the burning of railroad crossties in two counties passes House, Senate

Georgia state senators overwhelmingly passed a bill that will prohibit energy plants in Franklin and Madison counties from burning railroad crossties. After the 48-0 passing the measure was sent to Gov. Brian

Disaster declaration is issued for Kansas railroad bridge following ‘not a common type’ of fire

Montgomery County, Kan., has issued a disaster declaration for a railroad bridge that was destroyed by a fire earlier in the week. The hope is the county will receive federal dollars to

An easier “hole-in-one”

Focused Technology Solutions, a Marmon/Berkshire Hathaway Company, developer of the SpikeEase battery-operated spike puller, has released what it calls its “latest disruptive technology” to the rail market, the DrillEase battery-operated tie drill.

Rail Group On Air: Heavy rains, hurricanes and a pandemic do not slow work on Orlando Extension

RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson checks in with Brightline Executive Vice President of Rail Infrastructure Mike Cegelis on how construction is moving along on the Orlando Extension high-speed rail project. Rail Group On

Purple Line

Purple Line builders one step closer to throwing in the towel

In our June 15 RT&S news report on cost overruns and delays to Maryland’s Purple Line project, Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson reported that “Purple Line Transit Constructors, which consists of Fluor, Lane Construction

Homeowner sues railroad company over new rail yard construction

A historic home on a Navy base in North Charleston, S.C., is in the middle of a battle between a homeowner and a shortline railroad company. Mike Turner bought the home, which

Rain knocks out railroad bridge in Colorado

Heavy rain has shut down a tourist railroad route in Cortez, Colo. The series of storms knocked debris into the Animas River and created a logjam, which in turn caused Elk Creek

Critical rail replacement goal achieved at BART Orinda Station; July 4th weekend track closure cancelled

Anyone who has ever worked on a complex project plan, whether for an IT implementation, a building construction project, or a rail/rail transit effort knows that completing the project well ahead of

CEO of Rideau Transit Group resigns while Ottawa’s Confederation Line still struggles with issues

Peter Lauch, who has been the CEO of Rideau Transit Group since 2018, announced his resignation effective July 10. Rideau Transit Group has been criticized for work done on the city of

State audit suggests Sound Transit can do better when it comes to advance planning, contracting

Washington’s State Auditor’s Office is trying to get Sound Transit back in shape financially. An audit was recently conducted and included ways the agency could cut costs. First the bad news: The

Portal Bridge to get millions in federal funding—is the Gateway Project next?

After years of standstill, work on the Portal Bridge in New Jersey just got its first significant nudge. The Portal Bridge, an integral piece connecting to the Gateway Project, is now eligible

Bells & Whistles—6/19/20

HEROES Act would do little for mid-sized transit agencies. House INVEST Act would bolster CRISI program. Austin’s Project Connect project is now up to the voters. Contractor on Purple Line project is

rail bridges

BNSF doubles track while also preserving sensitive land in Kansas

Prairie grass is one of the few plants that can survive in heart of the state of Kansas. Shallow soil caused settlers to pass on the land decades ago. Transportation demands, however,

Greater Cleveland RTA substitutes bus for rail during track construction project

The Greater Cleveland Transit Authority will substitute bus for rail service on the Blue and Green lines east of Tower City for six weeks beginning at the end of the month. From

Ottawa’s Confederation Line may not have all fixes complete by Labor Day

Labor Day weekend always feels like a good time to end work. Officials in Ottawa were hoping all problems with its new light-rail system on the Confederation Line would be resolved by

HEROES Act would do little for mid-sized transit agencies

The CARES Act that was approved by Congress has helped transit agencies regroup from big ridership losses suffered during opening months of the coronavirus pandemic. The HEROES Act, a second shot of

L.A. Metro finishes decking for future Beverly Hills subway station seven months early

While the COVID-19 pandemic is severely impacting health, the economy, and life in general, along with having killed nearly 500,000 people worldwide, with over 117,000 deaths in the U.S., it’s hard to

Will Gwinnett County, Ga., voters get hit with second wave of transit expansion?

This is one second wave Gwinnett County, Ga., officials cannot wait to see unfold. For the second time in less than two years, voters may get the chance to decide if transit

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