Nova Scotia plans study of light rail, commuter rail options

Map of Halifax, Nova Scotia, area

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — The Nova Scotia government is planning to study the possibilities of developing light rail in Halifax and commuter rail in the area of the province’s largest city, which accounts for 63% of the Nova Scotia population. The government is seeking qualified consultants to carry out a rail feasibility study through a […]

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FTA seeks changes to Capital Investment Grants program

Trains Washington Watch logo

WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration will seek to remove one of the environmental components from its Capital Investment Grants program, FTA administrator Marc Molinaro said today (Aug. 21, 2025). The revision will remove “social cost of carbon” calculations from the ratings criteria used to award those grants — the federal government’s largest program to […]

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Philadelphia makes plans for SEPTA cuts

Map of SEPTA rail network showing lines to be cut

PHILADELPHIA  —  The City of Philadelphia has announced measures it will take when the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority begins enacting major service cuts this Sunday (Aug. 24, 2025). Meanwhile, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has announced new transit options for those in neighboring South Jersey. “We all know the best way to keep the region […]

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Metra adding trains on BNSF, UP North lines

Silver and read locomotive on commuter train

CHICAGO — Metra will add service on its most-used route, the BNSF Line, and make changes to two of its Union Pacific lines in September, the commuter operator has announced. On the BNSF Line between Aurora, Ill., and Chicago, the schedule effective Sept. 8 will include two new morning inbound express trains and two afternoon […]

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Weekly U.S. rail traffic sees slight decline

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — After six weeks in positive territory, U.S. weekly rail traffic slipped slightly below 2024 levels during the week ending Aug. 16, 2025. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, traffic for the week was 512,970 carloads and intermodal unites, a drop of 0.7% from the same week a year ago. That […]

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House committee to investigate California high speed rail

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WASHINGTON — Members of the House of Representatives are launching a new investigation into federal funding for the California high-speed rail project, James Comer, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, announced Tuesday. Comer (R-Ky.) said in a press release that the committee wants to know if the California High-Speed Rail Authority “knowingly […]

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FTA says it could withhold funds from New York MTA over subway safety issues

Workers in subway tunnel

WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration on Tuesday warned it could take actions against New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority — including withholding 25% of the transit agency’s federal funding — over what the FTA called New York City Transit’s failure to address safety risks for subway track maintenance workers. The FTA issued a special directive […]

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