News Wire Digest Second Section for Monday, March 30 NEWSWIRE

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More Monday morning rail news: — While Strasburg Rail Road passenger operations have been suspended because of the COVID-19 virus, the short line’s freight traffic is up 169% in March, Lancaster Online reports. The 4.5-mile railroad has handled 43 incoming freight cars this month, 27 more than the same month a year ago, with another […]

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Trains News Wire Digest for Thursday, March 26 (updated) NEWSWIRE

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A Brightline train departs West Palm Beach, Fla., in 2019. The Florida passenger service has shut down indefinitely because of the COVID-19 virus. TRAINS: David Lassen Thursday morning rail news: — Florida passenger service Brightline shut down operations Wednesday and laid off 250 of its 300 employees because of the coronavirus pandemic. In an email […]

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News Wire Digest Fourth Section for Thursday, March 19 NEWSWIRE

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Still more Thursday rail news: — The trade organization for U.S. transit agencies is asking for more than $12 billion in federal emergency aid to help agencies deal with the increased costs and dramatic drop in ridership revenue stemming from the COVID-19 virus. In a “Call to Action” message to its members, the American Public […]

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News Wire Digest Second Section for Thursday, March 19 NEWSWIRE

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Thursday morning rail news: — A magnitude 5.7 earthquake near Salt Lake City shut down light rail service and disrupted FrontRunner commuter service Wednesday, but service has resumed today with some residual delays, the Utah Transit Authority reports. The earthquake, which struck at 7:09 a.m., caused widespread damage, but no serious injuries were reported, the […]

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FRA releases full list of rail infrastructure grants NEWSWIRE

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WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has announced its full list of recipients of $248.5 million in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program grants, which will fund 32 projects in 27 states. Some of the grants had been announced previously by individual recipients [see “Announcements begin on infrastructure grants,” Trains News Wire, March […]

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News Wire Digest second section for Friday, March 6 NEWSWIRE

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More Friday morning rail news: — Legislation introduced Thursday in Congress would end Amtrak’s forced arbitration policy, which bars passengers and their families from suing the passenger carrier if they injured or killed in crashes. The Washington Post reports the legislation, introduced in both houses, would do away with the policy introduced last year which […]

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