Muni experts troubleshoot obsolete control system to keep trains running
Ed. Note: This article recently appeared on the MUNI website, and we thought it would be of interest to our readers. DCL
Breaking News
FY20 CRISI Grant for education and training to benefit all short line railroads
The Iowa Northern Railway Company (IANR) has entered the final planning phase for the development of a comprehensive safety education and training program for short line railroads, supported by a FY20 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program (CRISI) grant.
Bentley Systems enters into $1.05 billion agreement to acquire 3D modeling software
Bentley Systems, Incorporated (Nasdaq: BSY), the infrastructure engineering software company, [last week] announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with investors led by Accel-KKR to acquire Seequent.
Short Line Safety Institute offers Transportation Emergency Response Plan
The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) today unveiled a new offering, the development and documentation of a Transportation Emergency Response Plan (TERP) for short line railroads.
APTA: American Rescue Plan Act provides critical and vital boost to public transportation industry
In a statement released yesterday, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) expressed its enthusiasm for the impact the new stimulus bill will have on the public transportation industry.
AAR: Week 9 traffic thaw following frozen February
Total U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 6 was 515,135 carloads and intermodal units, up 11.4% compared with the same week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR) on March 10.
Things looking brighter at Amtrak with passage of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
As part of its COVID-19 recovery efforts, Amtrak announces full restoration of daily service for 12 long distance routes following pandemic-related schedule reductions in 2020.
Short lines outline economic impacts, environmental benefits, and growth strategies at congressional hearing
[Yesterday], Caren Kraska, president and chairman of the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad (A&M), and a member of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), testified on behalf of the nation’s 600 Class II and III railroads.
Rail Runner passenger service resumes
After not offering passenger service for about a year due to the pandemic, the New Mexico Rail Runner Express resumed limited service on Monday, March 8. The State of New Mexico has set guidelines for the reopening of commuter rail on a limited basis.
TTC to close portion of Line 1 for 10 days to accelerate state-of-good-repair work
Beginning at 6 a.m. on Mon., Mar. 15, the TTC will close the portion of Line 1 between St George and St Andrew stations to allow crews to continue important tunnel improvements.
CP suffers mainline derailment yesterday; operations restored this morning
A CP freight train derailed yesterday in Plymouth, Minn., northwest of Minneapolis.
BNSF suffers hazmat derailment near Ludlow, Calif.
A BNSF train traveling west on Wednesday derailed near Ludlow, Calif., in the Mojave Desert, not far from Interstate Highway 40.
Metro seeking proposals to fast-track Yellow Line Bridge and tunnel rehabilitation project
Metro is preparing for a major capital project that will rehabilitate the Yellow Line Bridge spanning the Potomac River and repair the steel lined tunnel between Pentagon and L’Enfant Plaza stations, both of which date to original construction more than 40 years ago.
Cable car and vintage streetcar services to be restored in San Francisco
SFMTA announced yesterday that service will be restored to the cable car and streetcar lines over the next couple of years, with two lines back in service in 2021.
Committee leaders release DOT Inspector General’s ethics report on former Secretary Elaine Chao
[Yesterday], Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) released the report from the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT OIG) [on the] ethics investigation into former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao.
Extreme winter weather slows traffic: AAR
The Association of American Railroads, in reporting U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Feb. 27, 2021, as well as volumes for February 2021, noted that volume took a polar vortex hit.
Pandemic challenged BNSF in 2020; railroad ‘in good hands’ for 2021
Despite a 7% decline in volume, BNSF’s profit margin increased by 2.9 percentage points in 2020, Warren Buffet, Chairman of the Board for parent company Berkshire Hathaway, told shareholders.
Civil engineers: rail infrastructure still top of class
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) awarded the nation’s freight and passenger railroads their highest grade — a B — in the “2021 Infrastructure Report Card” released today. Overall, ASCE gave the nation’s infrastructure a C- in the quadrennial report.
BNSF employee killed in rail operation
A BNSF employee was killed in the early morning hours of March 3 after becoming caught between two trains and crushed.
CSX suffers data exposure by hackers
CSX has been the victim of a ransomware attack, which became apparent when screenshots of internal CSX files were posted to a “leak site” yesterday. CSX told FreightWaves that it recently discovered the attack, and the only data stolen, as far as they know, was personal data of CSX employees, both active and retired.