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., […]
Train Topic: Signals & Train Control
DC Metrorail gets approval to restore automated operation
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 […]
Stadler lands contract for new MARTA signal system
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 […]
Hitachi Rail investing Ca$100 million in developing next generation signal technology
TORONTO — Hitachi Rail and provincial business agency Invest Ontario are partnering on a more than Ca$100 million investment to develop a new generation of Communications Based Train Control signal technology. The effort will develop a CBTC system known as SelTrac (G9), including artificial intelligence, 5G communications, and edge and cloud computing. It will include […]
CRISI grant to enhance wheel bearing monitoring with integrated wayside, on-board tech
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 […]
MBTA sets Green Line shutdown in December to complete track repair project
BOSTON — A 15-day shutdown of part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Green Line is set for December — the last such suspension planned under the agency’s long-running Track Improvement Program, and one expected to remove the final speed restrictions on the MBTA rail transit network. The agency has also slightly revised plans for […]
FRA awards $1.5 billion for 19 Northeast Corridor infrastructure projects
WASHINGTON — The federal government will provide $1.5 billion in funding for 19 projects along the Northeast Corridor, the Federal Railroad Administration announced today (Friday, Nov. 15). Leading the list of projects to be funded under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail is almost $400 million for a project to replace and upgrade the […]
VIA goes to court over CN speed restrictions on Venture trainsets
OTTAWA, Ontario — VIA Rail Canada is asking a Canadian court to review speed restrictions imposed on its Venture passenger equipment by Canadian National Railway, saying CN has not provided any evidence or valid reasoning for the move. The Canadian Press reports VIA said in a Federal Court filing that “there is no evidence to […]
FRA awards $2.4 billion in CRISI grants to 122 projects (updated)
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 […]
California agency awards more than $850 million for 11 rail projects
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 […]
San Francisco Muni to replace floppy-disk train control 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 […]
VIA Venture slowdown limited to CN-maintained track: Analysis
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 […]