Railroad News

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) officials yesterday announced the agency has moved closer to receiving a $1.3 billion federal grant to help fund the third and final phase of its Purple Line subway extension.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has sent the full-funding grant agreement to Capitol Hill for a 30-day review period, the last step before the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and LA Metro sign the agreement, LA Metro officials said in a press release.

CN announced yesterday it will shut down significant parts of its Canadian rail network imminently unless protest blockades on its rail lines are removed.

The blockades are disrupting passenger-rail travel as well as Canadians' ability to move goods and enable trade, CN officials said in a press release.

CN announced yesterday it will shut down significant parts of its Canadian rail network imminently unless protest blockades on its lines are removed.

The blockades are disrupting passenger-rail travel as well as Canadians' ability to move goods and enable trade, CN officials said in a press release.

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) crews working on the Purple Line Extension project expect tunneling between the planned Wilshire/La Brea Station and Wilshire/Fairfax Station to be delayed until March.

Cross passage excavation, tar sands and methane pockets have slowed tunneling progress, delaying breakthrough of one tunnel boring machine to the Wilshire/Fairfax Station.

[Editor's note: The headline of this article originally posted on Feb. 11 was updated Feb. 12 at 2:56 p.m. CT)

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) crews working on the Purple Line Extension project expect tunneling between the planned Wilshire/La Brea Station and Wilshire/Fairfax Station to be delayed until March.

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) board last week declared a "climate emergency" and recommitted to reducing the agency's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

VTA joins over 1,300 local governments in 25 countries in declaring a climate emergency, including Santa Clara County and the cities of Cupertino and San Jose, in which VTA serves. 

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) last month signed a three-year contract to license its GoPass mobile ticking application to Trinity Metro. 

While the GoPass app previously included Trinity Metro service, the new agreement offers added features to riders in Fort Worth, Texas, including integrated on-demand service requesting and bike-share location information, DART officials said in a press release.

The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) has filed with Transport Canada the association's latest locomotive emissions monitoring (LEM) report, which shows a decline in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity and criteria air contaminants despite increases in freight- and passenger-rail traffic.

The report is part of the Canadian railroads' efforts to help improve fuel efficiency and reduce transportation-related emissions.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has launched a scholarship fund to provide financial aid and career development opportunities to economically disadvantaged youth who want to attend college and pursue construction and engineering-related careers.  

The CTA Elevating Futures Scholarship Fund will award $250,000, or 10 scholarships, to Chicago Public Schools students who plan to pursue a four-year college degree in construction management, civil engineering or industrial or systems engineering, CTA officials said in a press release.

Transport Canada officials yesterday announced the Canadian government will invest CA$15 million in a rail project aimed at reducing bottlenecks on the western Canadian rail network.

The project calls for the construction of a 1,930 rail-car storage yard in Sturgeon County, Alberta, northeast of Edmonton. Major project components include a large loop track, 32 parallel storage tracks capable of accommodating rail-car storage and assembly of trains, and a connection to the CN Rock Yard's rail siding, Transport Canada officials said in a press release.

President Donald Trump's administration yesterday unveiled a proposed fiscal-year 2021 budget that calls for cutting Amtrak funding by more than 50 percent compared with 2020 levels.

The White House budget would cut funding to the Northeast Corridor from $700 million to $325 million, as well as cut funding for long-distance train routes from $1.3 billion to $611 million. After that, the White House would phase out support for Amtrak's long-distance trains, Reuters reported.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) last week recognized Keolis Commuter Services LLC and Clever Devices for achievements in sustainability. 

As part of APTA’s Sustainability Commitment program, companies pledge to take actions that lead to continuous improvements in environmental, social and economic sustainability. Based on measurable achievements, APTA honors organizations with platinum, gold, silver and bronze level recognition for their efforts, APTA officials said in a press release.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) from vendors interested in providing mechanical services for its Piedmont passenger train fleet.

The vendor would provide inspections, servicing, repairs and cleaning of the train sets at NCDOT's Capital Yard facility in Raleigh, along with inspection and cleaning services in Charlotte. The contract is for three years with two one-year extensions.

Metrolinx will install rubber panels at 18 grade crossings on GO Transit's Lakeshore corridors to deter people from trespassing on tracks, the Toronto transit-rail agency announced last week.

Last year, the anti-trespass panels (ATPs) were installed at three locations as part of a pilot program. Almost immediately, Metrolinx officials noticed a drop in the number of pedestrians in the railway corridor, agency officials said in a blog.

Caltrain’s board last week adopted two policies to guide the agency’s use of its property and set standards for future developments.

The board's Rail Corridor Use Policy provides a framework to make sure proposed uses of Caltrain property meet the railroad’s needs.