Railroad News

Sound Transit today will hold a virtual public hearing to gather feedback on the agency’s 2021 Service Plan, which outlines changes and revisions to commuter- and light-rail service for the upcoming budget year.

The service plan calls for maintaining the Link light-rail and Sound commuter-rail service levels that were in effect this month.

Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. (IAIS) Vice Chairman Dennis "Denny" Miller announced he will retire Sept. 30, after serving the railroad industry for 47 years.

Miller held various positions during his years at IAIS, including vice president of customer services, VP of operations, executive VP-chief executive officer, president and, most recently, vice chairman, IAIS officials said in a press release.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) earlier this week partnered with social network Nextdoor to share agency construction updates, major service issues and other announcements to residents near MARTA service lines and stations.

Nextdoor is social network for neighborhoods where users verify their residence and communicate privately and exclusively with other residents in their neighborhood. The site has users in nearly 2,5000 neighborhoods in Clayton, DeKalb and Fulton counties and Atlanta. 

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) yesterday announced the winners of the 2020 Bus and Rail Safety and Security Excellence Awards, which recognize “innovative and proactive” safety and security programs. 

“These awards help to build the industry by benchmarking successful programs so other systems can implement and fine-tune their programs based on the findings of their peers,” APTA officials said in a press release.

Class Is employed 117,764 workers in mid-August, up 0.46 percent from July's employment level but down 15.45 percent year over year, according to Surface Transportation Board (STB) data.

Five of six employment categories logged decreases from mid-July to mid-August. They were: maintenance of equipment and stores, down 1.97 percent to 19,165 employees; maintenance of way and structures, down 1.66 percent to 29,433; executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.4 percent to 7,491; professionals and administrative, down 0.27 percent to 10,353; and transportation (other than train and engine), down 0.12 percent to 5,069.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) last week identified four rail station access improvement projects to receive a combined total of $3.5 million in Measure RR funding.

The projects are part of the agency’s Safe Routes to BART program, which focuses on improving bike and pedestrian connections to BART stations. Grants include:

Ten Massachusetts lawmakers are calling on the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to purchase Pan Am Railways' assets and freight rights along the Route 2 Rail Corridor to secure the area for future passenger-rail service.

In a letter to MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack, the lawmakers noted that under Massachusetts law, the state has the first right of refusal in the sale of any railroad right of way or related facilities within the state. The lawmakers encouraged Pollack to take action in relation to the potential sale of Pan Am Railways.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) partnered with Mobilitie to create a new digital network that provides BART riders with 5G wireless connectivity. Mobilitie will install an underground wireless system in rail tunnels in San Francisco, add wayside wireless communications and small cells along the rail line, enable Wi-Fi connectivity across stations and trains, and deploy a fiber plant installed along the entire rail right-of-way. BART is expected to bring connectivity to its entire fleet by 2023, Mobilitie officials said in a press release.

The Webuild Group and its U.S. subsidiary and joint-venture partner Lane Construction are a step closer to starting work on a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston now that the Federal Railroad Administration issued a Rule of Particular Applicability and a Record of Decision to Texas Central Railroad LLC. The two decisions are a crucial milestone for the start of work on the $20 billion project.

Sound Transit on Sept. 18 marked the 20-year anniversary of its Sounder commuter-rail service in Seattle. 

Sounder began operating two south line round-trip trains in 2000, with stops in Tacoma, Sumner, Auburn and Seattle. Service to Puyallup and Kent was added in February 2001, to Tukwila a month later, and to South Tacoma and Lakewood in 2012. North line service to Edmonds and Everett began in 2003 and to Mukilteo in 2008.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) on Oct. 4 will recall 132 additional train and bus operators of the 450 employees laid off in April as part of the agency's efforts to reduce costs as it faces revenue losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The 132 employees being recalled are in addition to the 150 operators that returned to work earlier this month to provide service as ridership rebounds and students go back to school.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) later today is hosting a virtual meeting and public forum to gather input on the agency’s strategic plan to manage and help its stakeholders improve the movement of goods through railways, ports, airports and freeways in Los Angeles County. 

Los Angeles County is one of the nation’s top gateways for both domestic and international trade, handling over 30 percent of the nation’s containerized trade volume, LA Metro officials said in a press release.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $47.6 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant to help the North Carolina Department of Transportation purchase and preserve the rail corridor between Raleigh and Ridgeway for future passenger service.

The 10-mile section of rail line serves as a "missing link" to the Southeast Corridor, said U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) in a press release issued by the office of U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). The grant will be used to purchase the inactive freight-rail line from CSX.

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (SDMTS) on Sept. 20 restored its Trolley light-rail service to near pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. 

SDMTS increased light-rail service frequency from 30 to 15 minutes on the UC San Diego Blue Line on weekday evenings, on the Orange Line on Saturday mornings, and on the Sycuan Green Line on Sunday mornings.  

New Jersey Transit last week launched a new feature on its DepartureVision mobile application that enables riders to see how full a train is before boarding. 

The new feature enables riders to make informed decisions and practice social distancing as they return to using the system, NJ Transit officials said in a press release.