New York MTA halts new contracts for capital projects

Workers in subway tunnel

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has halted the awarding of new contracts for capital programs of uncertainty over the planned congestion pricing program, a daytime toll program intended to discourage driving by charging $15 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. The program is intended to start this year, and will help fund MTA […]

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Florida county won’t seek quiet zones on Brightline route

black and yellow high-speed train. Brightline Orlando to launch service Sept. 22.

VERO BEACH, Fla. — County Commissioners in Indian River County, Fla., will not seek to develop quiet zones at 22 grade crossings in unincorporated areas along Brightline’s route in the county, preferring the safety impact of having trains continuing to sound their horns. The TC Palm reports that the commissioners made that decision at a […]

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Nebraska bill would limit train lengths, require wayside detectors

Nebraska state seal, which includes a steam-powered train in the background

LINCOLN, Neb. — Less than two weeks after the Nebraska legislature killed a bill to require two-person train crews, a legislative committee has heard testimony on another rail regulation bill, this one including limits on train length. The unicameral legislature’s Transportation and Telecommunications Committee on Tuesday heard testimony on LB1212, introduced by Sen. Lynne Walz […]

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MBTA state-of-good-repair needs grow to $24.5 billion

Work crew on rail line at night

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority needs a massive infusion of $24.5 billion to address state-of-good repair needs, more than twice the figure from its last estimate of such maintenance needs in 2019, the agency said in a report issued today. The figure — up from $10 billion in the 2019 assessment — includes […]

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LA’s Metrolink plans four-day shutdown in December

Commuter train passes under signal bridge

LOS ANGELES — LA-area commuter rail operator will shut down all service for a four-day period at the end of December to allow for installation of a new signal system and other work. The service suspension is set for Tuesday, Dec. 26, through Friday, Dec. 29, and will cover the entire seven-line, five-county system, including […]

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NTSB calls for improvements to PTC technology

National Transportation Safety Board logo

WASHINGTON — In a new report, the National Transportation Safety Board calls on the Federal Railroad Administration to incorporate new technologies into existing positive train control systems and address issues with PTC in its current form. The 51-page report, available here, says safety issues remain in existing PTC systems in the form of: — Insufficient […]

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