WASHINGTON — Amtrak will award 11 scholarships to “advance the future of rail” through the Amtrak Scholarship Program, intended to help full-time undergraduate and graduate students who are passionate about rail. “As we continue to revolutionize the Amtrak experience, hiring to address significant demand is essential,” Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Qiana Spain […]
HOUGHTON, Mich. — Tracks to the Future, the summer railroad transportation and engineering program for high school students, has set the dates for two sessions of its program to be held at six college campuses across the country. The program is free to students thanks to sponsorship by the Federal Railroad Administration through a workforce […]
GENOA, Italy — RINA, a multinational inspection, certification, and engineering consulting organization, will enter the North American infrastructure market following its acquisition of Patrick Engineering Ltd., a Chicago-based engineering consulting company specializing in infrastructure, transport, and renewable energy. The acquisition announced Monday brings RINA an organization with 19 offices and 340 employees, mostly in the […]
WASHINGTON – Union Pacific has asked the Federal Railroad Administration for permission to temporarily deactivate the centralized traffic control on a 13.4-mile section of its Winnemucca Subdivision in Nevada, saying that windblown sand and soil has made the signal system unreliable. UP says it can’t make repairs until spring because the track structure is frozen […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — A few notes from the recently concluded winter meeting of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers: Oberman’s frustrations: During his Q&A session led by Eric Jakubowski of Anacostia Rail Holdings, Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman talked a bit about the processes under which the board works. One interesting note regarded […]
LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec —Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra made an unannounced visit to the Lac-Mégantic area late last week, facing continuing resistance to some land acquisitions needed to reroute Canadian Pacific’s line around the community devastated by a 2013 derailment and fire. In a statement released after the visit on Thursday, Jan. 19, Transport Canada said […]
SAN FRANCISCO — A 1.3-mile extension of Caltrain and California’s high-speed rail line to a transit center in downtown San Francisco would cost $6.7 billion, according to a new estimate from the agency which would oversee the project. The San Jose Mercury News reports the figure from the Transbay Joint Powers Authority represents a 34% […]
BISMARCK, N.D. — As part of its long-running effort to prevent BNSF Railway from replacing a 140-year-old bridge over the Missouri River, a preservation group argued in a Friday hearing against granting a state permit needed for the project. The Bismarck Tribune reports the group Friends of the Rail Bridge argued in the hearing before […]
FILLMORE, Calif. — Replacement of a bridge on a rail line operated by Sierra Northern that washed out in this month’s heavy rains may cost $1.5 million, the Ventura County Star reports. About a quarter of the 450-foot bridge was washed away on Jan. 10, apparently by debris that damaged then knocked out the concrete […]
WASHINGTON — The head of the Federal Railroad Administration is urging states to increase staffing and expertise to handle rail projects, given the additional funding available from the federal government. A report on the website Route Fifty, which covers issues of interest to state and local goverments, says FRA Administrator Amit Bose told the U.S. […]
TAMPA, Fla. — A regional transportation agency for the Tampa area has voted to disband after 16 years, with its inability to make progress on a commuter rail system among the issues behind its downfall. The Tampa Bay Times reports the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority board voted unanimously to shut down, although the […]
WASHINGTON — The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission has given permission for Metrorail to increase the interval on inspections of its 7000-series cars from four to seven days, setting the stage for more of the long-sidelined cars to return to operation, the Washington Post reports. Friday’s announcement came after the commission had initially said it would […]
