Maryland Approves FY24 Funding Commitment for Southern Maryland Rapid Transit

The State budget for FY24, which includes a sizeable financial commitment for the Southern Maryland Rapid Transit Project, has been approved by the Maryland House of Delegates.

SEPTA Requests to Amend PTC Plan, Seeks Approval of Railroad Signal System Modification

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority submitted a request for amendment to its Federal Railroad Administration-approved Positive Train Control Implementation Plan on Feb. 22.

MxV Rail: Registration Now Open for 28th Annual AAR Research Review

MxV Rail announced March 20 that registration is now open for the 28th Annual Association of American Railroads (AAR) Research Review, which will take place in Pueblo, Colo., June 26-28, 2023, bringing together MxV Rail experts, leaders from Class I and short line railroads, university students, and suppliers from around the world.

Sound Transit CEO Pledges to Revamp Downtown Light-Rail Stations

New Sound Transit CEO Julie Timm recently announced that improvements, including security guards and cleaning teams, will be implemented this month.

(Amtrak Photo)

Amtrak Kicking Off $6B B&P Tunnel Replacement Program

Amtrak on March 10 will start early construction work for the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program. The nearly 150-year-old, 1.4-mile tunnel that connects Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D.C., is a single point of

Ian Jefferies, President and CEO, Association of American Railroads

AAR Outlines Key Class I Safety Actions

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) on March 8 reported seven initial steps the Class I railroads are taking “to drive toward a future with zero incidents and zero injuries—one where what

Valley Line LRT Bridge Pier Repairs Completed

Work is essentially complete on repairing several defective supporting piers on Stage 1 of Edmonton’s new Valley Line LRT. The piers support two short, elevated sections that carry the line across a

(Valley Metro Photograph)

Valley Metro Launches West Phoenix Transit Alternatives Study

Valley Metro and the city of Phoenix, Ariz., are conducting a study to evaluate high-capacity transit options—such as bus rapid transit (BRT), streetcar or light rail—in west Phoenix. The study area boundaries are

Norfolk Southern announces six-point safety plan

ATLANTA–Norfolk Southern Corporation announced Monday a six-point plan to immediately enhance the safety of its operations. The initiatives are based on the preliminary findings of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) following the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment.

Digital Issue of March 2023 RT&S Now On Line

The March 2023 issue of RT&S is now on line. This month, we have our regular March piece on ballast maintenance, featuring the product and service offerings of eight vendors.

AAR: Class I’s On Board With C3RS; FRA Data Points to ‘Strong Safety Record’

All seven North American Class I railroads have agreed to join the Federal Railroad Administration’s voluntary Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS), Association of American Railroads President and CEO Ian Jefferies said

At the Ashton Creek Industrial Park in Virginia (pictured), Commonwealth Building Materials will use a new DRPT grant-supported rail spur to grow capacity for 1,365 new annual carloads.

DRPT Issues Rail Industrial Access Program Grant

The Ashton Creek Industrial Park LLC in Chesterfield County, Va., will receive a $450,000 Rail Industrial Access Program grant to support construction of a rail spur, to be served by CSX, according to the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), which administers the program.

CN is among the Rail Climate Change Adaptation Program award recipients, and will receive C$300,000 to develop a “Climate-Induced Ground Hazard Risk Assessment Tool.” (Photograph Courtesy of CN via Twitter)

Transport Canada Allocates C$5.4MM for Rail Resiliency

Transport Canada is distributing up to C$5.4 million to 20 infrastructure projects country-wide that it says will make railroads “more resilient to extreme weather risks.”

Norfolk Southern Joins Confidential Close Call Reporting System

ATLANTA–Norfolk Southern Corporation today announced that it is joining the Federal Railroad Administration’s Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS). Norfolk Southern was already actively participating in the C3RS Working Group that is

Kawasaki Begins Autonomous Track Fastener Monitoring Test in North America

Kawasaki Track Technologies announced the start of testing of track fastener monitoring technology in North America. This technology, while installed on a locomotive, will capture high resolution pictures and provide the necessary data for Kawasaki to utilize machine learning algorithms to identify potential track fasteners that need to be inspected and repaired.

Pictured: Renny, the first boring machine for Toronto’s Eglinton Crosstown West Extension project, which started tunneling work in April 2022. (Metrolinx Photograph)

Eglinton Crosstown West Extension Reaches Tunneling Milestone

The first tunnel boring machine passed the halfway point earlier this month, digging more than three kilometers of the roughly six-kilometer tunnel in less than a year for the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension project in Toronto, according to Metrolinx.

(East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Rendering, Courtesy of LACMTA)

LACMTA Advances East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Project

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) on Feb. 27 reported signing off on a $31 million pre-construction services contract for the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Project.

Possible Paths to New-Tech Safety Improvements

Crew Heimer joins Railway Age Contributing Editor Jim Blaze to look at what improvements can be done with respect to train derailments like that in East Palestine, Ohio. They suggest a better-quality

NS Enhances East Palestine Track Excavation/Remediation Plan

Norfolk Southern on Feb. 22, the day before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary report on the Feb. 3 East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, announced that it will, in a

NTSB Issues Preliminary Report on NS Ohio Derailment

The National Transportation Safety Board on Feb. 23 released a preliminary report on its investigation into the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) responds. The investigation of the Feb. 3 derailment

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