WASHINGTON — Amtrak is seeking applications for 11 scholarships it will award for full-time undergraduate and graduate students with rail interests under a series of programs, the company has announced. Applications are due by the end of Jan. 31 for scholarships including: — Women in STEM: For those pursuing an undergraduate or master’s degree majoring […]
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has awarded $42.5 million to help fund 25 freight rail infrastructure projects on short lines and with shippers within the state, the agency announced on Wednesday. The state’s share in the projects ranges from $7.6 million to $84,000 and will be funded through the Rail Transportation Assistance […]
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway this week asked federal regulators to ensure that it can use its trackage rights over Union Pacific to interchange with a proposed new short line railway in Utah. UP last month sought Surface Transportation Board permission to reinstitute common-carrier service over a 1.04-mile section of the abandoned Warner Branch. The connecting […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority board of directors has approved a new four-year contract with International Association of Machinists Lodge 264, including an overall pay raise of approximately 18% over the life of the contract, as well as several provisions intended to improve worker retention. The contract approved on Wednesday, Dec. 13, is […]
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Gateway Transit Center, a hub for the MAX light rail system’s Red, Blue, and Green lines in eastern Portland, will be closed to rail service Jan. 14 to Feb. 25 of next year to allow for construction, transit agency TriMet has announced. The resulting service disruption will include a suspension of […]
SAGUENAY, Quebec — The Canadian government and the province of Quebec will help fund a conveyor system at the Port of Saguenay, connecting the port to storage facilities and railyards in the community’s industrial port zone. The funding announced this week includes C$55.2 million from the federal government, a loan of up to C$36.8 million […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic remained ahead of 2022 levels for the week ending Dec. 9, the fifth straight week with volume in positive territory. The latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads show total traffic for the week was 499,094 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.7% increase over the same week a year […]
SEATTLE — The CEO of Sound Transit is resigning after just 16 months, sending the agency back into a search for a new chief executive. Julie Timm, who became CEO in September 2022, will “return to the East Coast to take care of family matters,” Sound Transit said in a statement on Tuesday, Dec. 12. […]
WASHINGTON — A pair of rail-related projects are among the 18 selected to receive grants totaling $645 million under the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program, announced Tuesday, Dec. 12, by the U.S. Department of Transportation. “Rural communities face some of the toughest transportation challenges, yet are often left out of major federal investments, a pattern […]
WASHINGTON — A Chicago Transit Authority train was in an emergency brake application when it struck a snow removal machine last month, according to the preliminary report released today (Tuesday, Dec. 12) by the National Transportation Safety Board. While preliminary reports set basic facts of an accident and do not determine cause of an incident, […]
WASHINGTON — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has released a budget for the fiscal year beginning in July 2024 that calls for drastic cuts to rail and bus service unless money can be found to address an operating deficit of $750 million — roughly 25% of the current budget. The proposed budget will include […]
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Cheyenne’s mayor has launched a new group to aid in efforts to bring passenger rail service back to Wyoming’s largest city. Mayor Patrick Collins announced creation of the 10-member Cheyenne Passenger Rail Commission on Monday, saying the group’s first meeting is set for this Friday, Dec. 15, at 10 a.m. It will […]
