The 8.5-mile Link 1 Line light rail extension from Northgate into Lynnwood will open Aug. 30, 2024, adding four new stations. (Sound Transit Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Denver RTD, Sound Transit, WMATA

Denver (Colo.) Regional Transportation District (RTD) spearheads a pilot project that integrates trip planning and fare payment in the Transit app. Also, Washington’s Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) announces the launch date for Link 1 Line service to Lynnwood, Wash.; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) reports that efforts to reduce fare evasion and increase safety are working.

Operation Lifesaver Programs in 10 States to Share $200K in Grants

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), on April 1 announced the award of $200,000 in competitive crossing safety awareness grants to Operation Lifesaver programs in 10 states.

Railway Age’s 2024 Short Line Railroad of the Year is Mississippi Export Railroad (MSE). (Chip Haffner Photograph, Courtesy of MSE)

MSE, W&LE, EIRR Accept Railway Age Awards

Mississippi Export Railroad (MSE) and Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Company (W&LE) accepted Railway Age’s 2024 Short Line and Regional Railroads of the Year Awards at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association

OLI Awards $220K for Rail Safety Campaigns

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), in partnership with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh, has awarded $220,000 in competitive rail safety awareness grants to Operation Lifesaver programs in

Savage Tooele Railroad Company has proposed reinstituting common carrier freight rail service over an approximately six-mile segment of the former “Warner Branch” (abandoned in 1983 by UP predecessor Western Pacific Railroad Company), and to construct approximately five miles of new railroad line within the Lakeview Business Park, which has been under development since 2020 in Tooele County, Utah. (STB Photograph)

STB Approves Construction of 11-Mile Utah Rail Line (UPDATED 4/3)

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on April 1 signed off on Savage Tooele Railroad Company’s proposal to build and operate approximately 11 miles of rail line in Tooele County, Utah, subject to certain environmental mitigation conditions.

USDOT OIG to FRA: Improve HOS, Fatigue Management Oversight Procedures

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) needs to improve procedures and planning as part of its oversight of railroad Hours of Service (HOS) compliance and passenger railroad fatigue management requirements, according to an

Railway Age’s April 2024 Digital Edition On Line

The April 2024 issue of Railway Age is now available digitally, with special reports on passenger rail post-pandemic and on safety from the freight rail industry’s top thought leaders.

ICC Approves Five-Year Crossing Safety Improvement Plan

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) recently approved its annual five-year Crossing Safety Improvement Program (FY 2024-2029) to “implement life-saving upgrades at highway-rail crossings across Illinois.”

ASLRRA President Chuck Baker

ASLRRA Honors Safety Professional, Safety Person of the Year; Names 2024 Environmental Award Winner

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has named Mission Mountain Railroad (MMR) Railcar Repairman Sam Pederson as its Safety Person of the Year and Florida East Coast Railway (FECR) Training Program Manager Albert Manning as its Safety Professional of the Year. Also, Sierra Northern Railway is named ASLRRA’s 2024 Environmental Award winner. All three awards were presented on March 25 at ASLRRA’s Annual Conference, held this year in Kansas City, Mo.

“Once this rule is finalized, it will support safer conditions for workers who perform critical tasks that keep transit operating efficiently and safely," said FTA Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool.

FTA Proposes Mandatory Minimum Standards to Protect Rail Transit Workers

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on March 22 announced that, for the first time, it is proposing mandatory minimum standards to protect those who perform track work for rail transit agencies nationwide.

LOAD MORE