New company uses cameras to inform public of blocked railroad crossings

Intermodal train with black locomotives

ELKHART, Ind. — Newly installed cameras that automatically feed real-time information to a website are helping first responders and the general public know when trains are occupying grade crossings near the northern Indiana town of Goshen, Ind., near Elkhart. BlockedCrossings, a private company, recently installed eight cameras at intersections in and south of Goshen, Ind., […]

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DC Metrorail gets approval to restore automated operation

Rapid-transit train arrives in station as people wait on platform

WASHINGTON — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has received approval to resume use of its automated operating system on one Metrorail line — possibly as soon as Sunday — in a precursor to restoring Automatic Train Operation systemwide in 2025. The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission approved restoration of automated operation on Metro’s Red Line […]

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Stadler lands contract for new MARTA signal system

Illustration of subway train with wireless signal equipment

ATLANTA — The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit System has awarded Stadler Rail a $500 million contract to replace its current signal system with a communications-based train control system. MARTA’s board voted Thursday (Dec. 5) to award the contract to Stadler, which is also building new railcars for the transit agency under a $646 million contract […]

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CRISI grant to enhance wheel bearing monitoring with integrated wayside, on-board tech

Close-up of wheel sensor device

WASHINGTON — The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen is joining forces with rail tech company Hum Industrial Technology Inc. and the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley’s Center for Railway Safety, to research and develop technology to enhance wheel bearing condition monitoring. The project will integrate railcar sensors with wayside infrastructure capable of transmitting wheel […]

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FRA awards $2.4 billion in CRISI grants to 122 projects (updated)

Passenger train next to signal bungalow and signal worker's truck.

WASHINGTON — A total of 122 projects in 41 states and the District of Columbia have been selected for the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program, announced early today (Oct. 29, 2024). The selected projects will receive more than $2.4 billion in funding. “Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re […]

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California agency awards more than $850 million for 11 rail projects

Train passing retaining wall in beach area

SACRAMENTO — Eleven rail projects, including a new LA Metro light rail line and extension of service in Sonoma County by SMART commuter trail, have received more than $850 million in funding from the Calfiornia State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) in awards announced last week. “From new zero-emissions buses in the Central Valley to vital rail […]

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San Francisco Muni to replace floppy-disk train control system

Map of San Francisco Muni light rail system

SAN FRANCISCO — The floppy-disk era is nearing an end on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. KGO-TV reports that the Muni board has approved a $212 million contract with Hitachi Rail for a train control system that will replace the more than 30-year-old system that still runs on outdated floppy-disk technology. The Automatic Train […]

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VIA Venture slowdown limited to CN-maintained track: Analysis

Gray, yellow and black passenger train at station

MONTREAL — When safety is on the table, there can be no debate about measures taken to ensure it. So when Canadian National informed VIA Rail Canada last Friday that all Venture trainsets of less than 32 axles could not operate at track speed across highway crossings equipped with warning devices triggered by Grade Crossing […]

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