Railroad News

BNSF Railway Co. this week continued to roll out its 2018 capital expenditure plans for individual states where the Class I's network operates. BNSF's latest announcements: Texas, Kansas and Missouri.

In Texas, BNSF expects to spend $375 million this year on maintenance of rail, ties and ballast, as well as expansion projects designed to enhance the network's capacity and fluidity, BNSF officials said in a press release.

BNSF Railway Co. this week continued to roll out its 2018 capital expenditure plans for individual states where the Class I's network operates. BNSF's latest announcements: Texas, Kansas and Missouri.

In Texas, BNSF expects to spend $375 million this year on maintenance of rail, ties and ballast, as well as expansion projects designed to enhance the network's capacity and fluidity, BNSF officials said in a press release.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) yesterday issued three urgent safety recommendations based on the agency's findings in two ongoing railroad accidents.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) received one urgent recommendation based on the NTSB's findings in the board's investigation of the Feb. 4 collision between an Amtrak train and a CSX train near Cayce, South Carolina. The Amtrak conductor and engineer died as a result of the collision.

The Metropolitan Council has reported $8.4 billion in developments along existing and planned light-rail transit lines in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

The council tracks developments proposed, under construction or completed along Metro Transit's Green and Blue lines. The council also keeps tabs on projects being developed along the lines' extensions.

Amtrak will consider suspending service on tracks that don't have positive train control (PTC) in place by the Dec. 31 deadline, the railroad's president told a House subcommittee yesterday.

President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson told the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials that there will be carriers over which Amtrak operates that are unlikely to have made "sufficient progress" by year's end to qualify for a two-year extension of the 2018 deadline.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing Editor

The Rail Passengers Association (RPA) on Monday decried President Trump's fiscal-year 2019 budget proposal to halve federal funding for Amtrak.

The proposal would cut the national passenger railroad's budget from $1.4 billion to $738 million, which would lead to the "virtual elimination of Amtrak's national network," RPA officials said in a press release.

Ontario is partnering with Toronto Hydro to build an energy storage system to provide back-up power to the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit (LRT) line.

Ontario is partnering with Toronto Hydro to build an energy storage system to provide back-up power to the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit (LRT) line.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) earlier this week announced four capital improvement projects on its rail system.

To minimize service disruption, the work has been scheduled during the second half of the year when ridership is lighter, WMATA officials said in a press release. One project will address the Metrorail system's tightest curve between McPherson Square and Smithsonian stations.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued three urgent safety recommendations, two to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and one to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) based on the agency's findings in two ongoing railroad accident investigations.

NTSB recommends that FRA "Issue an Emergency Order directing railroads to require that when signal suspensions are in effect and a switch has been reported relined for a main track, the next train or locomotive to pass the location must approach the switch location at restricted speed. After the switch position is verified, the train crew must report to the dispatcher that the switch is correctly lined for the main track before trains are permitted to operate at maximum-authorized speed."

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued three urgent safety recommendations, two to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and one to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) based on the agency's findings in two ongoing railroad accident investigations.

NTSB recommends that FRA "Issue an Emergency Order directing railroads to require that when signal suspensions are in effect and a switch has been reported relined for a main track, the next train or locomotive to pass the location must approach the switch location at restricted speed. After the switch position is verified, the train crew must report to the dispatcher that the switch is correctly lined for the main track before trains are permitted to operate at maximum-authorized speed."

The New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) Board of Directors has voted unanimously to approve a proposed alignment of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail's (HBLR) upcoming expansion into Bergen County as outlined in its Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement from March 2017.

The New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) Board of Directors has voted unanimously to approve a proposed alignment of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail's (HBLR) upcoming expansion into Bergen County as outlined in its Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement from March 2017.

BNSF plans to spend more than 11 percent of its total capital program in Texas this year, with nearly half of the $375 million state plan going toward maintenance projects.

BNSF plans to spend more than 11 percent of its total capital program in Texas this year, with nearly half of the $375 million state plan going toward maintenance projects.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is accepting grant applications for projects that will strengthen rail safety efforts through the implementation of positive train control (PTC), crossing improvements and congestion mitigation.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is accepting grant applications for projects that will strengthen rail safety efforts through the implementation of positive train control (PTC), crossing improvements and congestion mitigation.

Siemens has formed a long-term technical and digital service partnership with the Atlanta Streetcar.

Under the agreement, Siemens will provide technical support and materials for preventive and corrective maintenance on streetcars. The company also will use its Railigent™ digital rail services platform to analyze data to help improve streetcar operations, Siemens officials said in a press release.