Amtrak chooses joint AECOM/Jacobs venture to oversee Frederick Douglass Tunnel project

Map showing route of the current B&P Tunnel and the planned route of the Frederick Douglass Tunnel which will replace it.

BALTIMORE — Amtrak has selected Advance, a joint venture by infrastructure firms AECOM and Jacobs, to manage oversight of design, construction, contract management, administrative support, and other aspects of the $6 billion Frederick Douglass Tunnel project. The project includes replacement of the nearly 150-year old, 1.4-mile B&P tunnel, a major bottleneck on the Northeast Corridor, […]

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Design work under way on new Stuart bridge for Brightline, FEC

Passenger train on bridge

STUART, Fla. — Design work and other preparations for the new Florida East Coast/Brightline bridge over the St. Lucie River in Stuart are under way, the TC Palm newspaper reports, while FEC seeks a federal grant to address the $31.5 million grant to address the unfunded portion of the $218 million project. The current Stuart […]

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City of Portland

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The eastbound City of Portland passes the tower at Clinton, Iowa, behind two Chicago & North Western E units at 9:10 a.m. on June 4, 1953. Ahead lies the Mississippi River crossing and the Windy City. Robert R. Malinoski photo […]

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STB’s new passenger committee scope still to be defined: Analysis

Inside of passenger car with "quiet car" signs

WASHINGTON — The “Quiet Car” has become a staple on most U.S. corridor trains and many commuter operations. The innovation was first suggested in 1999 by an Amtrak volunteer organization later dissolved by CEO Richard Anderson after the former head of Delta Airlines was hired by Amtrak’s board of directors in 2017. Amtrak’s Customer Advisory […]

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MBTA to pay more to get long-delayed CRRC railcars

Rapid transit train operates on open-air track with city skyline in distance

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will pay an additional $148 million to Chinese railcar manufacturer CRRC as part of an agreement to complete the order for its long-delayed, problem-plagued Red and Orange Line subway cars, the Boston Globe reports. That will push the total cost of the order to more than $1 billion. […]

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FRA announces availability of $2.4 billion in CRISI grant funding

Logo for Federal Railroad Administration

WASHINGTON — The application process has begun for more than $2.4 billion in funding through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, or CRISI, grant program, the Federal Railroad Administration has announced. The Notice of Funding Opportunity issued today includes funding for Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024 and is available for projects to improve U.S. […]

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Completion of LA airport people mover delayed to 2025

Illustration of four-car people mover trainset on elevated right-of-way

LOS ANGELES — The long-awaited, much-needed people mover system at Los Angeles International Airport, which was originally expected to be finished this year, may not be complete until late 2025, the Los Angeles Times reports. The $2 billion, 2.25-mile automated, elevated rail system will connect airport terminals with parking lots, a new central rental car […]

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