Bells & Whistles—4/17/20
Bonds approved for Virgin Trains USA’s rail route from Las Vegas to southern California. Third lawsuit against Maryland’s Purple Line project fails. Union says railroad companies need to use unemployed workers before
Future Sound Transit bridge could take on traffic of closed West Seattle Bridge
With the West Seattle Bridge now closed until at least 2022, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is turning to Sound Transit for a new bridge over the Duwamish Waterway. The West Seattle Bridge
Special Report: On the Front Line—MARTA has a plan in place to preserve social distancing when shelter-in-place orders are lifted
Clear the area. That should be the first priority for transit agencies when shelter-in-place orders are finally lifted. As a measure of preserving social distancing, rail platforms will have to be cleared
Kansas City Southern reports strong first quarter results
Kansas City Southern reported record revenues of $731.7 million, an increase of 8% from first quarter 2019. Overall, carload volumes were up 4% compared to prior year. First Quarter 2020 First quarter
Rail property in Georgia designated as Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development Certified property
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) announced with the Dublin-Laurens County Development Authority that the county’s Highway 257 Rail Site is officially a Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) Certified property,
U.S. Department of Transportation makes available $311.8 million for capital rail projects
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) today for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program. “We’re committed to addressing the
Norfolk Southern selling locomotives to beat the band
Due to the advent of precision scheduled railroading (PSR), Norfolk Southern has decided to sell a significant number of locomotives, according to a report in FreightWaves. The railroad has sold around 300
Union leader alleges NJ Transit is not being honest about coronavirus cleaning efforts
The general chairman of SMART United Transportation Union local 60, Jerome Johnson, alleges that NJ Transit is not living up to its promises around maintaining coronavirus cleanliness, according to a report in
Progress Rail signs contract with PT KAI for GT series locomotives
Progress Rail, a Caterpillar company, has signed a contract with PT Kereta Indonesia (PT KAI) for 36 new EMD® GT38AC freight locomotives, expanding the public railway operator’s existing GT Series fleet. The
Metra weighed down by coronavirus woes
As the world continues to reel from the impact of the coronavirus, commuter rail operations have hit the skids. Earlier this week, RT&S reported on the troubles at MBTA in Boston, which
Listen for the horn April 16 commemorating rail workers
You need to listen for the train horn today. This is not just any train horn used for safety purposes when trains are approaching railroad crossings. This is a special horn honoring
Watch: Crews begin cleanup on railroad tracks after semi falls 30 ft onto KCS line
A crash involving a semi-tractor trailer in Joplin, Mo., has closed a Kansas City Southern line. It happened early in the morning on April 16. According to witnesses the truck was on
UPDATED APRIL 15 Rail Group Staff Report—Global railway industry response and impacts to COVID-19 pandemic
The 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
Report: California OKs $600MM for Virgin Trains high-speed project
According to a report in the Review Journal, a California finance committee unanimously approved the allocation of $600 million in tax-exempt bonds to go toward the Virgin Trains USA high-speed rail project
Special Report—On the Front Line: Despite FRA waiver, track inspection ‘orders are in hand and moving as scheduled’
Even though the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a 60-day emergency waiver in late March for certain requirements of FRA’s rail safety regulations, it is business as usual for at least one
Association of American Railroads traffic report for week ending April 11, 2020
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending April 11, 2020. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 412,503 carloads and intermodal units,
RailWorks Corp. to provide track maintenance services in Maryland
RailWorks Corp., North America’s leading rail infrastructure solutions provider, was awarded a contract to provide its market-leading track and maintenance services for Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) Metro
Purple Line construction in Maryland a go after third lawsuit is dismissed
Construction on Maryland’s Purple Line is no longer under a “stop-in-place” order. Lawsuits forced work to be put on pause, but on April 13 a federal judge dismissed the third and final
MARTA stepping up employee and customer protection from COVID-19
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) announced today it is taking additional steps to further support and protect employees and customers as the COVID-19 pandemic stretches into another month. In a
MBTA ridership down 90+ percent
It’s a sad tale that is spreading around the world to just about all modes of public transportation – ridership plunging due to COVID-19. Most of the world’s airlines are on the