WASHINGTON — Total U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Oct. 3 was up 0.8% over the same week in 2019, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, thanks to the continued strength of intermodal volume. Final statistics for the month of September, meanwhile, showed carload traffic down significantly from September 2019, but that […]
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CHICAGO — Metra has proposed a $700 million operating budget for 2021 that does not initially call for fare increases or service cuts — but that could change if it does not receive additional funding from other sources, such as additional federal coronavirus relief. The commuter railroad says the $700 million figure is based on […]
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CHICAGO – Metra’s Chicago & North Western-inspired heritage unit, F59PHI No. 90, made its inaugural run on the UP-NW line on Wednesday. The train was a non-revenue move from Chicago to Crystal Lake and return. After the run, the cars were put away at the California Avenue yard, along with Illinois commemorative locomotive No. 402, […]
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More Wednesday morning rail news: San Angelo, Texas, approves deal for rail port The San Angelo, Texas, city council on Tuesday approved a $600,000 deal with South Plains Lamesa Railroad to create a rail port in the community, which one city official calls a “game changer” for the community. The San Angelo Standard-Times reports that under […]
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Wednesday midday rail news: Bay Area city files objection to high speed rail plan The city of Millbrae, Calif., has filed a “strenuous objection” to the environmental impact report filed by the California High Speed Rail Authority for the San Francisco-San Jose segment of the high speed project, saying in a press release that the plan “would […]
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Wednesday morning rail news: Freight, Amtrak service to New Orleans disrupted as hurricane approaches The New Orleans Flood Protection Authority plans to begin closing the city’s floodgates today in preparation for Hurricane Delta, which will interrupt the flow of freight traffic through the city, Norfolk Southern is advising customers. The storm is projected to make landfall […]
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Still more Tuesday morning rail news: U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Florida county’s appeal of Brightline case The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal brought by Indian River County, Fla., over use of tax-exempt private activity bonds to fund Brightline’s expansion to Orlando, Fla. As is generally the case, the justices […]
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Tuesday morning rail news: Surfrider Foundation, residents file opposition to transit district’s request before STB The environmental group Surfrider Foundation has filed its opposition with the Surface Transportation Board to the North County Transit District’s request for an order protecting its right to perform track maintenance along the Pacific Coast, saying the order would “result […]
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Tuesday afternoon rail news: Miami-Dade delays vote on preferred station locations for Brightline commuter operation A planned vote on station locations for Miami’s proposed commuter rail service between downtown and Aventura, Fla., using Brightline’s route was put off Tuesday, after Miami-Dade County Commissioner Joe Martinez exercised his right to delay last-minute legislation. The Miami Herald reports the […]
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More Tuesday morning rail news: LA Metro sets online meeting on Union Station project LA Metro will hold an online meeting as part of the scoping process for the Link US project — which would turn LA Union Station into a run-through facility for passenger and commuter trains, instead of the current stub-end terminal alignment […]
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New subway cars from a U.S. plant of Chinese manufacturer CRRC will be delayed by at least a year, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials said Monday. MassLive.com reports the cars for the MBTA’s Orange Line are now expected to be delivered by April 2023. The agency has received 24 cars from a 152-car contract awarded in 2014, […]
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DC Metro has selected Hitachi Rail to build its next generation of railcars, ending a two-year search for a manufacturer. The Washington Post reports Metro officials sent Hitachi a notice of intent to award the contract — for 256 cars, with options that could boost the total order to 800 — on Sept. 30. If all options […]
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