railroad workers

To study passenger rail in Minnesota, one must get past Dan Patch

The idea of passenger rail in the state of Minnesota is starting to gain some steam, but before officials get too excited they need to remember the name Dan Patch.

City, county support Virgin Trains USA request for new rail bridge in Fla.

The city of Stuart, Fla., wants a new rail bridge. Martin County, Fla., wants a new rail bridge. That might be all federal officials need to know. 

Broken rail adds to frustration for LIRR riders

Schedule changes, a reduction of trains in service and rerouting due to work at Penn Station in New York was more than enough to handle for Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) riders

Sound Transit’s 2020 budget does not miss a beat

Sound Transit is not flinching, even with the Initiative 976 looming overhead.

North Carolina looks to benefit from Virginia/CSX deal via high-speed rail

There are plenty of moments to cheer when you are on the sidelines. Last week, the state of Virginia landed a game-changing deal with CSX, and now North Carolina is hoping it

Sound Transit

Bells & Whistles, 12/20/19

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CSX Corporation

Virginia commits to passenger rail behind mega deal with CSX

The state of Virginia realizes that if it wants to expand passenger rail service in the region it needs to take ownership of the situation. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced an agreement

MTA

Wet leaves on rail? Long Island Rail Road zaps them

Wet leaves are more like a wet blanket around commuter railroad operations, especially for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). During the fall, it is not uncommon to read about train delays

high-speed maglev

High-speed maglev project paused for more design and engineering details

A high-speed superconducting magnetic levitation system (maglev) between Washington and Baltimore is still in the works. However, right now it is up to the engineers to hold the project up. That’s because

Sound Transit

What? Me worry? Despite I-976 Sound Transit hauls in big money from U.S. DOT

Despite the passage of Initiative 976 in the state of Washington, Sound Transit is still taking in major funding for light rail projects. The U.S. DOT just finalized $1.4 billion worth of

Virgin Trains USA could start construction of high-speed line in Calif., Nev., in late 2020

Virgin Trains USA now believes it can start construction of a 170-mile, $4.8 billion high-speed train line from Victorville, Calif., to Las Vegas as early as third quarter 2020.

FRA does not like how the California High Speed Rail Authority is acting; U.S. DOT could pull funding

The California High Speed Rail Authority is acting like your typical teenager. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has told the group not to proceed with a plan to lay future track from

Bells & Whistles, Dec. 13, 2019

 L.A. considering P3s to help with light rail transit strategy Two trains derail in North America Florida tries to reduce accidents at RR crossings MBTA commits to safety

Long Island Rail Road

MTA gathers the best to help revamp its signaling system

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of New York City, Transit Innovation Partnership and Empire State Development hosted a Signaling Innovation Summit to bring together the best and brightest innovators to accelerate the

Maryland’s transportation chief resigns

Citing family reasons, Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn has resigned. Known by some as a controversial figure, Rahn, under Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, pushed for the state’s light-rail Purple Line. George Slater

L.A. looking at public-private partnerships to get light rail ready for 2028 Olympics

If Los Angeles is going to host the 2028 Olympics, the city knows its light-rail system has to meet qualifying marks. Los Angeles Metro Senior Executive Officer Rick Meade attended the Canadian

Bells & Whistles, Episode 19

 Top stories in video: Howard Street Tunnel Expansion Sound Transit top safety officer out CP locomotive engineer killed  Brightline track most dangerous

railroad tracks

Laconia, N.H., faces opposition to removing active railroad tracks in favor of trail

Pulling out train tracks is like removing the spine of the economy. That’s what several people expressed during a Laconia (N.H.) City Council meeting.

Officials looking into weekend LIRR derailment

It was business as usual for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) on Monday, Nov. 25. Three days earlier, however, it was complete chaos.

Bells & Whistles, Ep. 18

 The top stories we were following the week ending Nov. 22: MBTA clears funding for phases 2 and 3 of Franklin Line Double Track Project. U.S. DOT pushes for increased safety