MARTA completes Inman Park/Reynoldstown station enhancements

The first MARTA heavy rail train went into service in 1979, and it was along the East/West Line, which served a suburb in east Atlanta, the first stretch of MARTA rail radiating

Kristi Lafleur joins HNTB as office leader in Chicago

HNTB Corporation has named Kristi Lafleur, an industry veteran with 20 years of leadership in transportation and infrastructure, to head the firm’s Chicago office. Lafleur, who starts in her new role in

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

Wabtec delivers the first Operail locomotives

While RT&S doesn’t typically cover locomotives because they are not “below the rail,” we occasionally report on topics and news from key suppliers in the industry. Wabtec spokesperson Tim Bader announced that

New infrastructure bill addresses rail-highway grade crossings

The INVEST in America Act includes some new initiatives to address a series of rail-highway grade crossing problems. The bill calls for an updated U.S. DOT national highway-rail crossing inventory, collecting data

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.

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

railroad tracks

Rail traffic slide continues

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 20, 2020. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 457,278 carloads and intermodal units,

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

FTA funds TOD study of DART’s D2 Project stations

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) $1 million to plan for transit-oriented-development (TOD) at five stations along the planned two-mile Downtown Dallas (D2) Subway. The D2

Valley Transportation Authority—who will ride and who will not? Survey says …

Written by Stacey Hendler Ross of VTA As Shelter in Place restrictions ease throughout Santa Clara County, it is vital to know what the public needs and wants out of transit service

KC Streetcar Main Street Extension gets green light from feds

The KC Streetcar Main Street Extension project received the green light from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to enter into the engineering phase of the FTA’s Capital Investment Grants New Starts program.

Norfolk Southern announces idling of hump at Bellevue Yard

Norfolk Southern has announced that it will idle the hump at Bellevue Yard in Bellevue, Ohio, also known as Moorman Yard (named in honor of NS’s former chairman, president & CEO, Wick

U.S. DOT issues final rule for the safe transportation of liquefied natural gas by rail tank car

Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), issued a final rule authorizing the bulk transportation

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

CSX Corporation

CSX lays off 86 management employees

General business conditions, COVID, and PSR continue to reduce North America’s railroad workforce. The latest announcement of layoffs comes from CSX, based in Jacksonville, Fla. And, the layoffs occurred within the management

MBTA

MBTA construction crews closing part of Monsignor O’Brien Highway for Green Line Extension project

A portion of Monsignor O’Brien Highway in East Cambridge will be closed this weekend to provide Green Line Extension (GLX) work crews adequate space to safely demolish the remaining section of the

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

Rail traffic takes another big dip

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 13, 2020. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 449,291 carloads and intermodal units,

BART Silicon Valley Berryessa extension began revenue service on June 13

On June 13th, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) will open the Berryessa Extension for revenue service. The milestone marks the culmination of the