NJ Transit awards contract for major bridge project

Aerial view of bridge under construction

NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit’s board of directors has awarded the construction project for the lift portion of the new Raritan River Bridge, which will replace a 116-year-old swing bridge on its North Jersey Coast Line. Skanska Koch Inc. of Carteret, N.J., was selected for the project. The contract is worth a maximum of $444.4 […]

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Kolluri confirmed as new CEO of NJ Transit

Man in blue suit with window as backdrop

TRENTON, N.J. — Kris Kolluri, a former chairman of the NJ Transit board, will become the agency’s new CEO, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has announced. The current board unanimously confirmed the nomination at its meeting today (Dec. 11). Kolluri will serve for the remainder of Murphy’s term, which ends in January 2026. His selection […]

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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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Hummingbird

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Louisville & Nashville’s Hummingbird passes between the engine terminal and coach yard as it backs towards New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal in 1954. Visible at left are locomotives of Illinois Central and Kansas City Southern. James G. La Vake photo […]

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VIA Rail Canada thinks big with plans for new long-distance equipment: Analysis

Yesterday’s news out of Montreal was a stunner: VIA Rail Canada will re-equip its long-distance, regional, and remote-service trains with new single-level equipment — including dome cars for its flagship, the Vancouver-Toronto Canadian. VIA Rail’s 70-year-old Budd-built stainless steel fleet is a testament to durability and design. But nothing lasts forever, and despite all their […]

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Business car group seeks to save former N&W sleeping car

Maroon and black passenger car

CHESTERTON, Ind. — The group that has preserved a former Norfolk & Western business car is now seeking to save and restore former N&W sleeping car Hollins College. The N&W Business Car 300 Preservation Society says it is working with Norfolk Southern, the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, and the Morristown & Erie Railway to preserve […]

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Helping the Chief

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Santa Fe 2-10-2 No. 1680 assists the 15 passenger cars and three diesels on train No. 19, the Chief, at Wootton, Colo., on the climb up Raton Pass on June 17, 1950. R.H. Kindig photo […]

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NJ Transit CEO Corbett resigns

NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett.

NEWARK, N.J. — Kevin Corbett, president and CEO of NJ Transit since 2018, has resigned to take a university position. The resignation is effective Jan. 15, just short of seven years after he was appointed by Gov. Phil Murphy on Feb. 14, 2018. Murphy announced the resignation in a press release earlier today (Monday, Dec. […]

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Alstom to become contract operator for LA’s Metrolink

Overhead view of commuter train at station

LOS ANGELES — Alstom will become contract operator of Metrolink commuter rail operations, expanding on the company’s current maintenance role and replacing Amtrak, which has provided Metrolink’s crews since 2010. The initial five-year contract, valued at approximately $515 million, begins Jan. 1, with Alstom taking over operations on July 1, 2025. It will  run through […]

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VIA Rail Canada seeks bids for new long-distance trainsets (updated)

MONTREAL— VIA Rail Canada has issued a formal “Request for Qualification” for prospective carbuilders to replace long-distance, regional, and remote-service passenger cars that date from the mid-1950s. This follows a November RFQ for locomotives to power the new single-level equipment. The request issued today (Monday, Dec. 9) follows a commitment earlier this year by the […]

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Mexican president to open final segment of Maya Train

Passenger train on bridge

MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will open the long-delayed final segment of the Maya Train project on Dec. 15, she said during a press conference last week. Sheinbaum will visit the state of Quintana Roo to open the segment between Palenque and Chetumal. The last portions to be opened were two small segments […]

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