FRA to offer $362 million in CRISI grants

Trains Washington Watch logo

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has announced it will make available almost $362 million for rail projects through its Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, or CRISI, grant program. The funding is for projects that reduce congestion, improve shortline and regional rail infrastructure, relocate rail lines or improve multi-modal coordination at locations such as […]

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New technology offers predictive maintenance for railcar wheelsets

Logos for Transmetric and parent company Railinc

CARY, N.C. — A new unit of rail information technology firm Railinc offers railcar owners and users a new tool for predictive maintenance of wheelsets, determining their optimal time for replacement. The new TransmetriQ unit has launched Wheelset Intelligence, which predicts wheelset failures. The company says it will allow maximum mileage between repairs, minimize operational […]

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Savage opens new Chicago transload terminal

Savage Services logo

CHICAGO — Infrastructure and supply-chain firm Savage has opened a new transload facility at Canadian Pacific’s Bensenville, Ill., yard. The CPT Chicago Transload facility offers direct access to rail lines and major highways including Interstates 290, 294, and 355, as well as State Route 390, the Elgin-O’Hare Tollway. “We’re excited to work with CP to […]

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NARS meeting adds online option

North American Rail Shippers logo

CHICAGO — The North American Rail Shippers Association has added an online participation option to its annual meeting, to be held in Chicago Sept. 7-9. “To make attending as convenient as possible we have added online options because we know there is still uncertainty about traveling due to COVID-19,” NARS President Tom Tisa said in a […]

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Greenbrier receives 5,500 railcar orders in current quarter

Greenbrier Companies logo

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. — Rail equipment supplier Greenbrier announced it has received order for 5,500 railcars, valued at more than $530 million, since the start of the current quarter on June 1. Cars on order include intermodal, boxcars, tank cars, covered hoppers and gondolas. “Greenbrier continues to see momentum in our markets as we navigate […]

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RTD approves new study of Denver-Boulder-Longmont rail line

Denver_RTD

DENVER — The Regional Transportation District has approved an $8 million study to revive and revise plans for the commuter rail B Line, a Denver-Boulder-Longmont, Colo., route approved by voters in 2004 that had been pushed back to 2050. It was originally scheduled for completion by 2014. The RTD board also approved a formal response […]

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FRA calls halt to work on new Ann Arbor, Mich., station

Passenger train passes platform with handicap boarding facilities

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Federal Railroad Administration has halted work on a long-proposed new passenger station for Ann Arbor, citing high cost and unacceptable design features. MLive, the Ann Arbor News website, reports a letter from Jamie Rennert, director of the FRA’s Office of Infrastructure Development, told the city the agency would discontinue work […]

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Weekly rail traffic shows drop from 2020 figures

Weekly table showing U.S. rail traffic statistics

WASHINGTON — Reversing the trend for most of 2021, the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads show U.S. rail traffic declined for the week ending Aug. 21 when compared to the comparable week in 2020. Traffic totaled 501,273 carloads and intermodal units, a 2.6% decrease from the 2020 figure. It also represented a […]

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