AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Switching Services, the freight operator on the state-owned Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad, has been selected by the Maine Department of Transportation to operate and maintain the state’s Rockland Branch, a 57-mile former Maine Central line. However, a pilot program to test passenger service on the route, in coordination with the […]
TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling for development of a freight rail bypass to the west of Toronto that he says would allow “significant, longer-term expansion” of GO Transit commuter rail service in the region. In a letter today (Jan. 9, 2025) to the chairman of provincial transit agency Metrolinx, posted on X.com, […]
ORLANDO — The SunRail commuter service, funded and operated by Florida’s Department of Transportation since its opening in 2014, is locally funded as of Jan. 1. Spectrum News reports the local members of the governing Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission — Volusia, Seminole, Orange, and Osceola counties, and the city of Orlando — authorized the […]
SALT LAKE CITY — Multifaceted supply chain company Savage will develop a new transload facility for crude-by-rail movement from Utah’s Uintah Basin, the company announced Wednesday (Jan. 8, 2025). The terminal, near Wellington in Carbon County, will unload the basin’s wax crude from tanker trucks into two heated tanks, after which it will be located […]
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators will attempt to close security gaps on the U.S. rail system for exports destined for Mexico and Canada through a new rulemaking by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The proposed rule, posted Wednesday, Jan. 8., would require the electronic transmission of rail export cargo manifest data, including an initial filing 24 […]
WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic showed a slight uptick over 2024 in the first report from the Association of American Railroads for 2025. Overall volume for the week ending Jan. 4 was 421,410 carloads and intermodal units, a 1% increase over the first week a year ago. That included 198,500 carloads, down 4.6%, and […]
SACRAMENTO — The state of California has unveiled a $310 billion plan to expand the state’s rail network to increase its share of passenger travel from 2% to 20% by 2050 through a network featuring extensive electrification and zero-emission operations. The new State Rail Plan was announced Jan. 7 by Gov. Gavin Newsom. It envisions […]
ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Train Dispatchers Association has ratified a new national agreement with the National Carriers Conference Committee, the national bargaining group for major U.S. railroads. The agreement announced today (Jan. 8, 2025) is the fourth to be ratified, following deals with the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, Transportation Communications Union, and […]
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The city of Columbia will receive $204 million in federal funding for a downtown grade-crossing separation project, the Columbia Post & Courier reports. The newspaper was informed of the grant by U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). The funding will be used to eliminate grade crossings on Assembly Street, a major downtown thoroughfare […]
WASHINGTON — A dozen rail-related projects in California are among those to receive funding through three U.S. Department of Transportation grant programs, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla has announced. In all, 25 projects will receive more than $258 million in federal funds through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE); Reconnecting Communities pilot, and […]
WASHINGTON — Ron Batory, K. Earl Durden, and Henry Posner III will be inducted into the Short Line Railroad Industry Hall of Fame at this year’s American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association Annual Conference, the organization has announced. The induction will take place April 8, 2025, in Denver. Durden’s induction will be posthumous. “The […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has awarded more than $6 million to 408 organizations during 2024 as part of two grant programs launched in 2023, the railroad has announced. The Safety First grant program awarded $2.2 million to 184 organizations in 19 states. These awards are to enhance emergency response capabilities and promote community safety. The […]
