RTD CEO to offer plan to put new focus on Boulder-Longmont commuter rail line The head of Denver’s Regional Transportation District says she will present a plan to the board within 60 days to advance work on a long-delayed commuter rail line to Boulder and Longmont, Colo., following a push from Gov. Jared Polis. KUSA-TV […]
Boosted by federal aid, Utah Transit Authority sees revenue increase as ridership falls Thanks to federal coronavirus relief funding, the Utah Transit Authority came out ahead financially in 2020 despite huge ridership losses, according to preliminary year-end figures. The Salt Lake Tribune reports the Salt Lake City-area agency saw a 47% loss in ridership, but […]
Maryland Senate to vote on veto overide of bill seeking to extend MAR service to Virginia, Delaware A bill that would open the door for MARC commuter rail service to expand into northern Virginia has new life after Maryland’s House of Delegates voted to override a veto by Gov. Larry Hogan, leaving its future in […]
WILLIAMS, Ariz. — Steam-powered passenger trains are set to return to the Grand Canyon Railway on eight dates beginning in April 2021, with one of the railroad’s two steam locomotives powering a morning train from Williams to the Historic Village inside Grand Canyon National Park. Steam operations are scheduled for the first Saturday of each […]
Friday morning rail news: Montreal’s REM begins testing of Alstom light rail trainsets The first trainsets for Montreal’s Réseau express métropolitain light rail system have begun testing, REM reports on its Facebook page. The agency says tests will continue over the next few months between its Brossard station and Milan Boulevard. Alstom is building 106 two-car […]
WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board will review several issues surrounding Colorado, Midland & Pacific’s proposed lease of Union Pacific’s long-dormant route over Tennessee Pass. The board’s decision, released today, indefinitely postpones what is normally a 30-day clock that covers deals between short lines and Class I railroads. Under U.S. law, railroad transactions fall into […]
Still more Monday morning rail news: New agreement allows BNSF Bismarck bridge project to move forward without final decision on current bridge BNSF Railway’s long-running effort to replace its 138-year-old Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge over the Missouri River can continue to move forward after a new agreement between the railroad, the U.S. Coast Guard, and […]
Monday morning rail news: Metra to add trains on Rock Island line Metra is introducing a new schedule on its Rock Island District as of Monday, Feb. 1, including new morning and evening rush-hour trains, new express service, and additional midday trains. Other trains have been renumbered or had schedule adjustments. Among the additions […]
Monday midday rail news: Conservation groups ask for full environmental review before Tennessee Pass operations can resume Conservation group American Whitewater, joined by seven other organizations and almost 700 individuals, have asked the Surface Transportation Board to require a full Environmental Impact Statement for the resumption of rail service on Tennessee Pass. The Friday filing asks the […]
WASHINGTON — A brake system failure — which included an air flow restriction and the failure of an end-of-train device to respond to an emergency brake command — was the probable cause of the October 2018 runaway and subsequent collision that killed two Union Pacific crewmen on Sherman Hill in Wyoming, the National Transportation Safety Board […]
Friday afternoon rail news: Montana’s Bky Sky Passenger Rail Authority elects Strohmaier as president Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier, the driving force behind the effort to create Montana’s Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, will serve as first president of the organization, the Missoula Current reports. In its second official meeting on Wednesday, the organization learned that […]
Friday morning rail news: Executive order requires masks on trains, transit, other modes of transportation President Joe Biden has signed an executive order mandating use of face coverings on trains, public transit, planes, intercity busses, and in airports, the Washington Post reports. The newspaper says that order and one signed Wednesday requiring masks on federal […]
