Groundbreaking ceremonies took place Friday in Petaluma, Calif., marking the start of construction of Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) passenger rail work for the two counties, north of San Francisco.

L.B. Foster Thursday reported fourth-quarter net income of $6.1 million, or 60 cents per diluted share, compared to $6.2 million or 60 cents per diluted share, in the same quarter of 2010.

Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has awarded a contract to Ansaldo STS USA, worth roughly $100 million, for installation of Positive Train Control on SEPTA's regional rail system, serving five counties.

American Railcar Industries, Inc. expressed satisfaction with its fourth-quarter and full year revenue and earnings, and also voice cautious optimism on the year ahead.

Class I railroads employed 159, 333 people in mid-January, up 3.93% from January 2011, but down 0.24% overall from last December, according to figures provided by the Surface Transportation Board.

U.S. freight carload traffic for the week ending Feb. 18, 2012 declined 5.2% measured against the comparable week in 2012, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday. U.S. intermodal volume for the week also retreated, down 5.6%, compared with the same week last year.

Norfolk Southern says it cannot support a current plan for commuter rail service linking Charlotte and Mt. Mourne, N.C., calling the idea "fatally flawed."

Atlanta-based RMI Wednesday said it has reached a five-year agreement with RailAmerica, Inc. for the implementation of RMI's ExpressYard Car Repair Billing (CRB) and Operations Management Software System.

Fairport, N.Y.-based RailComm said Wednesday CSX Transportation has expanded its Domain Operations Controller (DOC®) system located at Boyles Yard in Birmingham, Ala.

Unitrac Railroad Materials, Inc. said Wednesday it has received a three-year contract to supply special trackwork to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), valued at approximately $8 million over the three-year period.