Bells & Whistles—Calif. lawmaker goes to Transportation Secretary to reject coal rail project

RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson covers the top news stories of the week.

After getting the boot from BNSF, Metro Blue Line will now have to use County Road 81

With BNSF not allowing the use of tracks for the Metro Blue Line Extension Project in the Minneapolis suburbs, officials are now in the process of going door to door.

Lawmaker to Transportation Secretary: Do not fund disastrous rail project

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) wrote a letter to the Natural Resources Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee and to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigeg to stop federal funding of a rail project.

Watch: Time-lapse video of truss removal and installation on Merchants Bridge

Railway Track & Structures magazine has obtained time-lapse video of the first truss removal and the first new truss installation of the Merchants Bridge in St. Louis.

New study says transit options need to be fed to Baltimore’s Black Butterfly

Baltimore’s Black Butterfly needs to get out of this non-transit cocoon.

Calif. governor, lawmakers make it easier for Valley Link light-rail project

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers have gift-wrapped everything for the Tri-Valley/San Joaquin Valley Regional Authority.

Rail Group On Air: RT&S 2021 Engineer of the Year Justin Meyer

Railway Track & Structures magazine Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Canadian Pacific’s Vice President of Engineering Justin Meyer.

With public trust low, Ottawa works to select another third-party firm for safety review of Confederation Line

Apparently, people believe STV is just too close with Ottawa’s Confederation Line.

Investigators looking at switch, rail as possible causes of deadly Amtrak derailment

A full 24 hours after a derailment of an Amtrak train that killed three passengers near Joplin, Mont., theories were spreading on the cause of the accident.

Portland’s Red Line project lands federal construction grant

The U.S. DOT’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced a construction grant award of $99.9 million to the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) for “A Better Red,” the MAX Red Line Extension and Reliability Improvements Project in the Portland metro area.

Bells & Whistles—Onion shippers’ railyard project may be spoiled

The top stories RT&S was following the week ending Sept. 24.

Delay in rail shipping center construction stinks for onion shippers

Onion shippers in Oregon have joined together to make moving their product quicker on the rails, but recent developments might make them cry.

Tunnel track work set to begin in downtown Pittsburgh

Light-rail improvement work is coming to downtown Pittsburgh. The Port Authority is ready to begin two projects worth $30 million.

Calif. high-speed rail project preserved, restored over 2,300 acres of habitat over last year

As California kicks off Climate Week 2021, the California High-Speed Rail Authority released its latest Sustainability Report: Building an Equitable Future, detailing how this first-in-the nation project positively contributes to the climate change struggle and helps build the most technologically advanced, electrified, and equitable transportation system in California.

Taking no heat: Rail underpass in Springfield, Ill., finishes early

With fall right around the corner there will not be any heat put on United Contractors Midwest Inc. for the completion of the Laurel Street underpass in Springfield, Ill.

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.

Eye-popping milestone is achieved at Merchants Bridge site

It takes a milestone whenever you are dealing with the mighty Mississippi River, and the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis and contractor Walsh Construction hit one over the weekend.

Bells & Whistles—Tracks unstable along California cliff

Railway Track & Structures Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson covers the top news stories of the week.

Group decides new I-5 bridge will not accommodate high-speed rail

When a new crossing emerges to connect the states of Washington and Oregon via I-5, there will not be any sight of high-speed rail.

Money starts to move on Austin’s Project Connect light-rail project

Over $312 million has been approved for the Project Connect venture in Austin, Texas.