• April 03, 2024
• Ballast, Ties, Rail

Smart Rocks, Smart Tamper: Investigating the Mechanics of Ballast Tamping

ATLANTA – Railway Track & Structures, April 2024 Issue: There are many forces that work to deteriorate track geometry over time. These forces don’t begin and end at the wheel/rail interface; they are transmitted to the vehicles and their components and into the track structure and its components. On ballasted track, ballast absorbs these forces, and its maintenance is critical to preserving and correcting several types of track geometry defects.

• August 17, 2022
• Track Maintenance

St. Louis flooding crippling MetroLink light rail system longer than first expected

Flooding that smacked the St. Louis area a month ago is still soaking any plans to get the Metro light rail system up and running like normal again.

• August 09, 2022
• Passenger

August issue of RT&S is now online

The August issue of RT&S contains a construction update on high-speed rail in the U.S.

• August 09, 2022
• Bridges/Tunnels

Rocks fall from railroad bridge in Austin, Texas; UP responds immediately

When he got up on the morning of Aug. 8, David Starr had no thoughts of being an emergency flagger.

• July 28, 2022
• Track Maintenance

St. Louis MetroLink tunnels overwhelmed by heavy rainfall

A 100-year rain event hit the St. Louis region on July 26, and it made a spectacle out of the St. Louis MetroLink.

• May 04, 2022
• Freight

Move by Texas governor has Mexico taking billion-dollar rail project elsewhere

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s crackdown on border crossing inspections has Mexico drawing a line in the sand. Make that a line in New Mexico.

• February 15, 2022
• Track Construction

Contractor selected for retaining wall, abutment work on rail bridge project in Michigan

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will use Nicholson Construction for a railroad bridge replacement project in Jackson, Mich.

• November 23, 2021
• Track Construction

After maintenance, crossing in Wichita, Kan., is taking out tires and wheels

A railroad crossing in Wichita, Kan., is damaging wheels and tires at a high clip.

• October 29, 2021
• Track Construction

Acquisition will shake up rail ballast maintenance sector

Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group (RSRG) and Balfour Beatty U.S. are pleased to announce they have entered into an agreement for the acquisition by RSRG of the Balfour Beatty Track Solutions division.

• September 20, 2021
• Track Construction

Agency provides update on 948-mile-long Mayan Train project in Mexico

Progress continues on the Mayan Train project in Mexico as the first shipment of ballast arrived over the weekend.

• August 26, 2021
• Track Construction

Watch: Drone footage shows how floodwaters broke through track bed in Tenn.

A line of railroad tracks might have served as a floodgate in the town of Waverly, Tenn.

• July 01, 2021
• Track Construction

MBTA caps massive capital spending fiscal year with accelerated construction on Green Line

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) announced that from Monday, Aug. 2, through Sunday, Aug. 29, crews will work around the clock to replace outdated track including ties, ballast, and rail as well as pavement on the Green Line E Branch between South Huntington Avenue and Brigham Circle Station.

• June 02, 2021
• Track Construction

Finch West LRT project moving at a smooth pace

The Finch West light-rail transit route has checked off key advances that literally put it on track for important vehicle testing to come later this year, including track work and needed elements for the maintenance and storage facility.

• May 20, 2021
• Track Construction

Rail Group On Air: What’s green is big in Boston—An update on Green Line Extension construction

Railway Track & Structures Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Green Line Extension Project Manager John Dalton on construction progress and some challenges.

• May 20, 2021
• Track Construction

Watch: Progress on California’s Gold Line light-rail project

On May 19 the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority used a zoom call to update those interested on the progress of the light-rail extension from Glendora to Pomona, Calif.

• November 19, 2020
• Track Construction

More rail tunnel problems for San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency

San Francisco’s trouble with tunnels continues this week. The Municipal Transportation Agency has revealed issues with the Twin Peaks Tunnel, which was completed two years ago, and the fix will be expensive.

• February 04, 2020
• Track Construction

BNSF releases 2020 CapEx with emphasis on replacing and upgrading

BNSF has released its capital expenditure plan for 2020. The budgetary blueprint calls for $3.4 billion in spending.

• November 20, 2019
• Track Construction

Indiana Northeastern Railroad track in Ohio will receive upgrade in track condition

The condition of the Indiana Northeastern Railroad in Ohio will soon be upgraded to a Federal Railroad Administration Class 2 after the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) gave the green light to

• November 19, 2019
• Track Construction

MBTA moves forward with Franklin Line Double Track Project

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Fiscal and Management Control Board approved a $30 million contract for second phase work and third phase preliminary design work of the Franklin Line Double Track

• October 09, 2019
• Track Construction

Transit Construction: Just how it was rehearsed—BART executes massive system upgrade

Once the show curtain is released, nothing is going to stop it from swallowing an act whole.