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 […]
NEWPORT, Tenn. — Norfolk Southern is set to begin replacing a collapsed bridge today (March 12) on its line between Newport and Asheville, N.C., and should reopen the route closed by Hurricane Helene by the end of the month. New spans for the bridge across the Pigeon River in Newport will be placed today, Blue […]
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The parent agencies of Virginia Railway Express have approved a $155 million agreement to help purchase the commuter operator’s Manassas Line from Norfolk Southern. The nonprofit news site Virginia Mercury reports the boards of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac and Rappahannock River Transportation Commission approved the agreement in separate […]
SAN DIEGO — The effort to determine a new rail route through Del Mar, Calif., will repeat a step — and has a new twist, as well. At a Friday, Feb. 28, meeting, the San Diego Association of Governments restarted the run-up to developing an environmental assessment of the project, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has begun a pilot program with a division of Google that uses smartphones to help detect potential subway track defects. The program announced Thursday, Feb. 27, builds on TrackInspect, a prototype developed with the Rapid Innovation Team at Google Public Sector. Tested on the subway A line of […]
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s transportation secretary said last week he’s “hesitant to go forward” with projects awarded federal funding — including one to increase capacity for an additional round trip of Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian — in light of the uncertain status of those funds under the Trump Administration. “Funds that were discretionary awards, that haven’t been […]
The latest in the occasional series of articles recommended by Trains News Wire opens with a recent story from the Baltimore Banner looking at the B&P Tunnel, Amtrak’s efforts to maintain the 152-year-old bore, the plans to replace it, and the threats to the tunnel project. Also recommended: A Governing magazine opinion piece looks at […]
WASHINGTON — Historically, passenger rail funding has had legislative champions from each party in the House and Senate that successfully counteracted executive branch funding cuts. When President Donald Trump called for deep reductions aimed at Amtrak’s long-distance network during his first term, those budget proposals were eventually rebuffed in bipartisan transportation spending deals. But this […]
NORTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canadian National Railway and short line Battle River Railway are among six recipients of a total of Ca$33.1 million for infrastructure projects under Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund. Transport Minister Anita Anand announced the funding, for projects in British Columbia and Alberta, on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at the Richardson International […]
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Brightline West construction should begin within the next two months, a Nevada Department of Transportation official said today (Monday, Feb. 10, 2025). KLAS-TV reports that Eric Scheetz, Nevada DOT senior project manager, told a meeting of the NDOT board of directors that the agency must have proof that Brightline West has […]
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego area planning agency seeking to develop an inland alternative to the Surf Line rail route along the Del Mar Bluffs has once again broadened the number of prospective routes — with options including a massive relocation project along Interstate 5. The San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, includes […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will launch South Coast Rail operations — serving a group of southeastern Massachusetts communities that have been without passenger rail for 65 years — on March 24, 2025, the agency announced today. The start date — two months ahead of the most recent timeline, which called for service […]
