SEPTA cancels contract with CRRC for bilevel commuter cars

Rendering of bilevel commuter railcars with red and blue striping

PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has “terminated with cause” its contract with the U.S. affiliate of Chinese railcar manufacturer CRRC for 45 bilevel commuter railcars, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The contract was awarded in 2017, and the first cars were to have been completed in 2019 [see “SEPTA awards bid for Chinese bilevel […]

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Four-mode trains enter service in Europe

Blue, green, and white multiple-unit passenger trainset on display at trade show.

Italian national rail company Trenitalia launched its latest hybrid passenger trains earlier this month on the scenic route from Taranto to Reggio Calabria on the nation’s southern coast. The trains, built by Hitachi in Italy, are claimed to be the world’s first four-mode hybrid trains — and while they are the first to enter service, […]

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Railroads file suits to block two-person crew law

BNSF crew change

Four railroads have filed lawsuits in federal court to block the Federal Railroad Administration’s requirement for two-person crews for most freight trains, the Associated Press reports. Union Pacific, BNSF Railway, the Indiana Rail Road, and Florida East Coast Railway filed individual suits this week in different appellate courts, all saying the rule is arbitrary, capricious, […]

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Vermont Rail System to acquire New Hampshire Central

Map of short line with two disconnected segments

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Vermont Rail System has reached an agreement to purchase assets and operating rights of the New Hampshire Central Railroad to expand its operations in northern New Hampshire, the companies announced Tuesday. “VRS has a 60-year tradition of helping local businesses with efficient and reliable freight service,” Selden Houghton, Vermont Rail System president, […]

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BART to offer final rides on original equipment on April 20

Black and white photo of rapid-transit equipment in underground station

OAKLAND, Calif. — Bay Area Rapid Transit, the 131-mile electrified rail network in the San Francisco Bay Area, is offering the public a last chance to ride the 1970s-era futuristic railcars that made up its original fleet. On Saturday, April 20, at 1 p.m. at the MacArthur station in Oakland, BART will commemorate the cars […]

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PATH launches two-year, $430 million infrastructure project

Silver subway trainset with blue front arrives at station

NEW YORK — The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has launched a two-year project to upgrade infrastructure of the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) system, the 13.8-mile rail rapid transit system connecting Newark, Harrison, Jersey City, and Hoboken, N.J., to two lines in Manhattan. The $430 million “PATH Forward” project announced Friday will […]

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Amtrak chooses contractor for Unified Operations Center in Wilmington

Corner view of office building

WILMINGTON, Del. — Wohlsen Construction Co. has been awarded the contract for Amtrak’s Unified Operations Center project in Wilmington, Del., the company announced on Friday. The project, expected to cost more than $53 million, will built a 24-hour operations center for national operations, including fleet and onboard crew assignments and coordination of the response to […]

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Intramotev battery-electric hopper debuts on isolated Pennsylvania coal mine railroad

ST. LOUIS – Intramotev, which is converting standard freight cars into autonomous rail vehicles, says it has successfully deployed the world’s first self-propelled battery-electric railcar in a traditional freight train. In what Intramotev called a major step forward for sustainable freight transportation, the company’s ReVolt hopper has run more than 1,000 miles making trips between […]

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