LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — The Canadian government has reached an agreement in principle with the town of Lac-Mégantic on the purchase of land needed for construction of a rail bypass around the community, Transport Canada has announced. The agreement will allow both parties to prepare the deed of sale for the land owned by the town. […]
OTTAWA — Extensions to Ottawa’s light rail lines continue to fall behind schedule, with the western extension of the electrified Confederation line now likely to be completed 17 months late, and the southern addition to the diesel-powered Trillium line at least a year overdue. The CBC reports a city committee was told Tuesday that the […]
SCRANTON, Pa. — Pennsylvania will provide $3.7 million for track improvements needed for a possible Scranton-New York City Amtrak route, the Pocono Record reports. The grant through the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program has been awarded to the Monroe County Industrial Development Authority. It will provide half the funding for 43,000 new crossties on a […]
LAREDO, Texas — With simultaneous ceremonies in Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, Kansas City Southern marked the start of construction on a second span of the International Railway Bridge across the Rio Grande. KCS CEO Patrick Ottensmeyer led the ceremony in Laredo on Monday, Oct. 31, while KCS de Mexico President Oscar del Cuento hosted […]
OTTAWA — More than 50 parties have made initial inquiries regarding the High Frequency Rail project, the plan to build a passenger-only right-of-way for VIA Rail Canada’s Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City corridor, Transport Canada said Monday in announcing the next step in the government’s procurement process to develop that corridor. The initial step, the Request for Expressions […]
PORTER, Ind. — Work to double track the South Shore Line through Michigan City, Ind., should be completed by Thanksgiving, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District officials told the district’s board of trustees at a Monday meeting. The Times of Northwest Indiana reports that overall, the double-track work between Gary, Ind., and Michigan City is more […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has denied a bid by the owner of the Skunk Train tourist operation to acquire 13 miles of abandoned Northwestern Pacific right-of-way, increasing the likelihood the entire route will become a public trail. In a Thursday decision, the board ruled that Mendocino Railways, the Skunk Train owner, “has failed […]
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Seminole Gulf Railway, devastated by Hurricane Ian, is now estimating it will take $28 million to return the 105-mile railroad in southwest Florida to operation. WBBH-TV reports the railroad hosted government officials on Thursday in an effort to rally support for emergency funding, so the railroad can return to operation […]
LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — The Canadian government has set new dates for public consultation on hydrology and mitigation in its deliberate process of building a rail bypass around Lac-Mégantic. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced Wednesday that online consultation will be held Oct. 24 to Nov. 25, along with three public information sessions: — An in-person, invitation-only […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — It could still be as long as mid-January before passenger rail service resumes through the section of South Orange County where traffic has been stopped by an unstable slope next to the railroad tracks, the Times of San Diego reports. The news site reports the Orange County Transportation Authority has finalized […]
PHILADELPHIA — The City of Philadelphia has received a federal grant of about $1.6 million to rehabilitate 18 bridges for city streets that cross the Northeast Corridor, part of a group of 23 projects in 23 states receiving $18.4 million in Bridge Investment Program Grants under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The funding from the Federal […]
ROBERTSDALE, Pa. – “Little more, little more . . . Mush, you huskies! Ho!” With that chant, Gene Tucker urged his four-man volunteer crew at the narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad to squeeze a 60-pound rail into alignment just enough to slip a J-shaped “hook bar” into place to force the track gauge back […]
