SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California High Speed Rail Authority has applied for $450 million in federal grants to continue construction of the project in the state’s Central Valley. Some $446 million of that would come from the Federal Railroad Administration Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program. The Authority has also released the final […]
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LOS ANGELES — Metrolink has revived its $15 Summer Day Pass, a seasonal weekday special fare available through Friday, Aug. 30. The special pass, first offered in 2022, is offered alongside the agency’s $10 weekend day pass, which remains available through the summer. The Summer Day Pass will be available on all weekdays except July […]
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WASHINGTON — Carload traffic remains down while intermodal volume is up, leading to an overall gain in U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 25, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. U.S. railroads reported total traffic of 485,232 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.2% over the same week in 2023. That […]
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NEW YORK — New York City Transit President Richard Davey has been named CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority, departing from his job as head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority department overseeing subways and buses after just two years. The Massport board of directors voted today to select Davey over Eulois Cleckley, CEO of the […]
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LEEDS, England — Marking the 200th anniversary of the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway Co., the first intercity passenger rail line in the world, the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester announced the all-new Liverpool-Manchester Railway Board on May 22, 2024. This new venture also brings forth plans for an improved high speed rail line […]
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ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern and 40 of its shortline connections have produced outsized growth in carload traffic this year through a program that aims to improve interchange consistency and reliability. The Short Line Performance Project, which began as a pilot with a handful of railroads last July, has seen interchange volume grow 9% since March […]
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The risk of derailment increases with freight train length, according to an academic study published today, which found that a 200-car train is 24% more likely to derail than a 50-car train. The study — by researchers from Brigham Young University, Georgetown University, and Virginia Tech — analyzed Federal Railroad Administration rail equipment accident data […]
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s House of Representatives has passed a bill requiring drivers to stop for all on-track equipment at grade crossings, and making the failure to do so a misdemeanor. House Bill 372, sponsored by Michele Grim (D-Toledo) and James M. Hoops (R-Napoleon), requires a driver to stop at a grade crossing if […]
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EAST ORANGE, N.J. — Eight rail transit systems will receive a total of $343 million to modernize stations, improving access for passengers including those with disabilities and injuries, under grants announced today by the Federal Transit Administration. The grants, under the FTA’s All Stations Accessibility Program, were announced in an event at NJ Transit’s Brick […]
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ATLANTA – Former Canadian National CEO Claude Mongeau has been appointed chair of Norfolk Southern’s board of directors, the railroad announced today. The board unanimously chose Mongeau to lead the board, which has five new members — including three who were nominated by activist investor Ancora Holdings as part of its proxy battle with the […]
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WASHINGTON — The five members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation have asked the Federal Railroad Administration to address the lack of a safety inspector for the state in the wake of the April derailment of a BNSF freight train near the New Mexico-Arizona state line that closed Interstate 40 for more than two days. The […]
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Photography has been my hobby since I retired as Amtrak’s company photographer in December 2012. In addition to trains, I shoot events of all kinds. There never fails to be at least one self-deprecating soul who grins at me and says, “Careful, I might break your camera.” Imagine their surprise when I respond, “Someone already […]
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