Caltrain electrification boosts ridership

Low-angle view of commuter train in San Francisco

SAN CARLOS, Calif. — The first full month of electrified service on Caltrain’s San Francisco-San Jose route spurred significant ridership growth, the commuter rail operator says. All-electric operations began Sept. 21. In October, Caltrain carried more than 753,000 passengers, a 54% increase from October 2023. That included average weekday ridership of about 27,000, up 38%, […]

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Kentucky awards $7.5 million for eight shortline rail projects

Line of people holding shovels

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Commonwealth of Kentucky is providing $7.5 million in grant funding for eight infrastructure projects on short lines, Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Thursday (Nov. 14). R.J. Corman Railroad Group, Transkentucky Transportation Railroad, and the Paducah & Louisville Railway each received funding for two projects, while the Tennken Railroad Co. and Louisville […]

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Rail carriers group announces tentative deal with SMART-MD

SMART-TD union logo

ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Carriers Conference Committee has announced a third tentative national agreement, this time with SMART-MD, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Mechanical Department. The NCCC is the negotiating unit for the National Railway Labor Conference, which represents U.S. Class I railroads and some smaller operations. It opened […]

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Regulators scold Union Pacific for lack of cooperation (updated)

Man in suit in front of U.S. flag

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has taken Union Pacific to task for an ongoing lack of cooperation in a new decision regarding an issue with the railroad’s effort to construct a 6-mile rail line in Arizona’s Maricopa and Pinal counties. The primary matter concerns UP’s request for an exemption for construction of the Pecos […]

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Community withdraws from talks over Lac-Mégantic bypass

Map of Lac-Megantic Bypass

NANTES, Quebec — Officials in a community on the route of the proposed Lac-Mégantic rail bypass have withdrawn from talks with the Canadian government about the project. The CBC reports that the municipal council in Nantes — which passed a resolution opposing the bypass in January 2023 — decided at a meeting on Tuesday, Nov. […]

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Referendums on New Jersey light rail plan yield split results

Map of rail line between Camden and Glassboro, N.J.

Opponents of a proposed light rail line in South New Jersey scored one win and one loss in local referendums over a proposed 18-mile, 14-station light rail line between Glassboro and Camden. NJ.com reports 54% of voters in Glassboro indicated support for the Glassboro-Camden Line, 4,030 votes to 3,452, while those in Brooklawn were narrowly […]

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