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NANTES, Quebec — Officials in a community on the route of the proposed Lac-Mégantic rail bypass have withdrawn from talks with the Canadian government about the project.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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Amtrak service remains suspended between New York, New Haven

Electric multiple-unit trainset rounds curve

NEW YORK — Amtrak operations between New York’s Penn Station and New Haven, Conn., remains suspended to begin today (Wednesday, Nov. 13) as a result of Tuesday electrical fires in the Bronx. Service was suspended as of Tuesday afternoon because of a pair of fires, one involving a transformer fire at a warehouse and another […]

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MBTA work removes five Red Line speed restrictions

Maintenance crew working on track under bridge

BOSTON — Five days of service suspensions for maintenance work on the Red Line have resulted in the removal of five speed restrictions, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has announced, leaving just four slow orders on the entire MBTA rail transit system. Service was shut down between Broadway and North Quincy Nov. 5-10, as well […]

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ASLRRA president discusses CRISI’s short line transformation

Green and yellow locomotive with short string of cars on straight track in snow.

WASHINGTON — Thousands of miles of railroad right-of-way have been upgraded, new rail has been built, and emerging technologies have been explored since the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grant program began injecting federal dollars into the rail industry seven years ago. CRISI has awarded more than $5.2 billion to […]

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Groundbreaking held for new Utah short line

GRANTSVILLE, Utah — More than three years after the project began seeking regulatory approval, and seven months after that approval was granted, construction has begun on the Savage Tooele Railroad, Utah’s first new railroad in decades. The 11-mile short line will build five miles of new track and restore a 6-mile former Union Pacific branch […]

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R.J. Corman breaks ground on Kentucky infrastructure project

Line of people holding shovels

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Federal, state, and local officials were on hand as R.J. Corman Railroad Group held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 6, for its Bluegrass Multimodal Freight Improvement Project at the company’s yard in Frankfort. The $12.3 million project to upgrade infrastructure of the R.J. Corman Central Kentucky Lines will include construction of […]

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Latest MBTA track work clears final Orange Line speed restrictions

Men working on railroad tracks with commuter train in background

BOSTON — The rapid transit Orange Line is free of speed restrictions for the first time in 15 years as the result of maintenance work completed on Nov. 1, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority reports. Work completed on two segments of the line — Oak Grove-Ruggles Oct. 26-27 and Oak Grove-North Station Oct. 28-Nov. 1 […]

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East Broad Top wins $1.6 million state grant to restore two bridges

Rusted steel bridge across waterway

POGUE, Pa. —  The Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program has awarded the EBT Foundation $1.6 million to restore two steel bridges on a portion of the narrow gauge East Broad Top tourist railroad’s dormant main line. A major boost for the EBT, a national historic landmark, the grant will aid the line in its push […]

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With work completed, full rail service to resume on Hartford-Springfield, Mass route

HARTFORD, Conn. — More than five months of midday bus substitutions on the Hartford-Springfield, Mass., route served by Amtrak and CTrail trains are set to end on Monday, Nov. 4, following the completion of several maintenance projects. An alert on the CTrail website says 10 five round trips — two of Amtrak trains and three […]

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Norfolk Southern files for abandonment of Saluda Grade

Map of rail line in North and South Carolina

  WASHINGTON — Norfolk Southern has filed a notice to abandon 31.3 miles of the long-inactive Saluda Grade in North and South Carolina, a prelude to previously announced plans to sell that section of the route to a consortium of groups who plan to create a biking and hiking trail. The abandonment would be effective […]

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FTA issues final rule on safety for transit agency track workers

Track workers wait to work as commuter train passes

WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has announced its final rule governing safety for transit agency track workers, following up on a proposal made earlier this year. The rule, published Tuesday, Oct. 29 on the FTA website, will become official when it is published in the Federal Register, which is slated to occur Thursday, Oct. […]

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FRA awards $2.4 billion in CRISI grants to 122 projects (updated)

Passenger train next to signal bungalow and signal worker's truck.

WASHINGTON — A total of 122 projects in 41 states and the District of Columbia have been selected for the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program, announced early today (Oct. 29, 2024). The selected projects will receive more than $2.4 billion in funding. “Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re […]

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