STOCKTON, Calif. — The Stockton Diamond Grade Separation project, which seeks to eliminate an at-grade crossing of BNSF and Union Pacific main lines, has received $14 million in federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funding. The funding has been approved by the San Joaquin Council of Governments, or SJCOG “The last thing our farmers and […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has launched an initiative to protect Metro-North’s Hudson Line from climate change with work to address stormwater runoff, tidal flooding, and other issues. The Metro-North Hudson Line Climate Resilience Blueprint will focus on a 20-mile stretch of the 74-mile route between Croton-Harmon and Riverdale, rebuilding infrastructure such as […]
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The continuing work to restore service on Norfolk Southern’s line into Asheville reached a milestone on Tuesday (April 8) as an NS ballast train became the first train to reach Asheville since it was closed Sept. 27, 2024, by Hurricane Helene. More than 21,500 feet of track was washed out, and another […]
HAY RIVER, Northwest Territories — The Government of the Northwest Territories has asked Canadian federal regulators to examine Canadian National Railway’s decision not to repair its damaged rail line to Hay River, which had been the northernmost point on the North American rail network. Vince McKay, infrastructure minister for the Northwest Territories, said on Monday […]
New issues continue to develop while other problem areas are improving, CSX Transportation said in an update today (April 7, 2025) on storm recovery efforts. Also, BNSF has provided an update on one of two weather-related derailments that closed the Thayer South Subdivision in Arkansas. CSX had highlighted three areas as especially problematic in a […]
CHESTERTON, Ind. — The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District remains hopeful that it can open the South Shore Line’s new West Lake Corridor in late August or early September, but that would require shaving more than a month off the contractors’ current estimate. Lakeshore Public Media reports NICTD President Mike Noland told the agency’s board […]
ORANGE, Calif. — Citing “ongoing threats” to service on the Surf Line route used by Amtrak, Metrolink, and BNSF Railway, the Orange County Transportation Authority on Monday (March 31, 2025) submitted an emergency permit request to the California Coastal Commission for stabilization work above the rail line in San Clemente, Calif. The OCTA says the […]
The latest Infrastructure Report Card from the American Society of Civil Engineers gives rail a B- grade, which was above the C average given to American infrastructure overall. The report recommends that railroads continue to harden their physical plants to better resist increasingly frequent, longer duration, and more powerful natural disasters. “Rail lines face considerable […]
BOSTON — Massachusetts’ South Coast Rail commuter operation is now officially in service. The 37-mile addition to the MBTA commuter rail network launched today (March 24, 2025), with the Fall River Herald News reporting that well over 100 people were on hand to catch the first train, a scheduled 4:27 a.m. departure from New Bedford. […]
Some of the nation’s most famous bridges, including four that carry rail or rail transit traffic, are on a list of 68 the National Transportation Safety Board says need to be assessed to determine their vulnerability to collapse if struck by an ocean-going vessel. The list — which includes such landmarks as the Golden Gate […]
CHICAGO — Improvements and 52 stations and replacement of 43 grade crossings are part of Metra’s planned capital projects during its 2025 construction season, the commuter rail operator announced Tuesday, March 18. Track, bridge, and signal work is also on the agenda. “We plan to take full advantage of the construction season to address projects […]
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Bridge replacements or repairs for a proposed commuter rail service in Santa Cruz County could cost almost $1 billion, a consulting firm has determined. The news site Lookout Santa Cruz reports staff from the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission and engineering firm HDR Inc. told a meeting this week that […]
