MBTA chief discusses challenges, progress NEWSWIRE

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MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority MBTA MPI HSP-46 No. 2028 pushes Worcester, Mass.-Boston South Station train No. 520, as it departs Yawkey station in the Kenmore Square section of Boston. Scott A. Hartley Steve Poftak, a Boston native, became general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority on Jan. 1, 2019, […]

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Metra to upgrade 95th Street station NEWSWIRE

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CHICAGO — Metra plans to renovate its Electric District station at 95th Street, serving Chicago State University, with the goal of boosting ridership and creating a transit hub. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the commuter railroad has agreed to a “memorandum of understanding” with the university to build a new platform, stair enclosure, elevator, and […]

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CP puts damper on plans for more ‘Hiawathas’

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MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s plans for increasing Chicago-Milwaukee Amtrak Hiawatha service may not be as close to fruition as state officials have believed. Canadian Pacific Railway, the host railroad for much of the Hiawatha route, has released a letter to the state’s rail program manager saying it will not support additional service without additional improvements […]

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Metra, Libertyville open remodeled station NEWSWIRE

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Libertyville, Ill., has opened its remodeled Metra station, shown late in the construction process in June 2019. TRAINS: David Lassen The station has undergone a significant makeover from its previous version, shown in 2015. TRAINS: David Lassen LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. — Village and Metra officials celebrated the completion of renovation of Metra’s Libertyville station on Friday, […]

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Feds give California authority to complete environmental reviews; potentially saving time and money NEWSWIRE

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — Two months after the Federal Railroad Administration announced it was cancelling a nearly $1 billion grant to help build California’s high-speed rail project, state officials on Thursday announced an agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration that removes a significant obstacle to building it. The FRA has signed over its environmental review […]

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Dukakis, Gunn share concerns about makeup, objectives of current Amtrak board NEWSWIRE

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Former Amtrak president and CEO David Gunn. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — Former Democratic presidential candidate and Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis remembers his time on the Amtrak Board of Directors as working with people well-versed in transportation and “committed to the simple but powerful notion that the entire country needs a first-class rail passenger system.” Former […]

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