More Friday morning rail news:
Dallas man could get five years in prison in fake-bomb case
A Dallas man could face up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of false information and hoaxes for an incident in which he placed a fake bomb on railroad tracks in Dallas. The Fort Worth Star Telegram reports Mark Ashley Robert, 37, could also face a fine of up to $250,000 for the 2018 incident in which a Kansas City Southern conductor saw a device — a box with flashing lights and a battery — on the railroad tracks. Police, after neutralizing the device, found Robert’s fingerprints during a subsequent investigation. He is scheduled to be sentenced in March.
With passenger counts down, MBTA to allow bikes on all commuter trains
Bikes will be allowed on all Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter train as of Nov. 2, when the agency will update its schedules. Boston.com reports Keolis, the contract operator of the commuter trains, announced the change Wednesday, with a spokesman saying the “decision to permit bicycles reflects lighter ridership and service patterns that now offer more evenly distributed trains throughout the day.”
Clinton, Iowa, gets CP building in land swap
The city of Clinton, Iowa, has acquired Canadian Pacific’s station in the community and the railroad will build a new structure after a pair of land swaps approved by the Clinton City Council. The Clinton Herald reports four city-owned parcels were exchanged with three owned by food processing company Archer Daniels Midland in June; in September, the land acquired from ADM was exchanged for the current CP building site at South First Street and Fourth Avenue South. The city will now look for a buyer for that downtown site, while CP will build a new facility in South Clinton, with a spokesman saying the railroad will build the new structure “to better meet its service commitments to customers and support train operations.”
