Six hospitalized when Phoenix light rail train derails after collision with vehicle

Six hospitalized when Phoenix light rail train derails after collision with vehicle

Six people were hospitalized Sunday evening after a Phoenix light rail train derailed following a collision with a vehicle. KNXV-TV reports the accident occurred about 4:45 p.m., and a photo appears to show the light rail vehicle hit one of the supports for the catenary system. The power system was quickly de-energized, allowing firefighters to remove those in the light rail trainset. Injuries were reported to be minor, and were treated at nearby hospitals. Transit agency Valley Metro was running a bus bridge around the site of the accident as of Sunday evening.

Online meeting set on California’s Dumbarton Rail Corridor

The San Mateo County Transit District will hold an online public meeting today to discuss the proposed Dumbarton Rail Corridor, which would restore a former Southern Pacific line across the southern San Francisco Bay to connect Caltrain’s Redwood City, Calif., station to BART in Union City. The Palo Alto Weekly reports the 18-mile line would serve an estimated 24,000 riders daily, according to projections by the district. Facebook, which has headquarters near the proposed line, is part of the partnership helping fund preliminary planning [see “Facebook could help revive former San Francisco Bay rail bridge,” Trains News Wire, June 15, 2018] although the company may not remain as part of the project. More information and a link to today’s 6 p.m. PDT meeting is available here.

With possible pipeline shutdown approaching, Michigan propane dealers consider shift to rail

Propane suppliers in Michigan reliant for supplies on a pipeline facing a shutdown are beginning to transition to receiving gas by rail. MLive.com reports that some suppliers are moving to rail because the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline is facing shut down in May, after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ended an easement that allows the 67-year-old pipeline to run being the straights of Mackinac. Enbridge has filed suit and says it won’t comply absent a court order, but some suppliers have already moved to receiving propane by rail. One propane distributor said he has made the move at a cost of 5 to 7 cents per gallon, but the process is an expensive one that could require some companies to build new rail spurs and could face a shortage of railcars. Others say they will wait to see how the legal fight between Enbridge and the state plays out before determining their next move.