news

3i-backed Regional Rail proposes to acquire all of the stock of Effingham, Ill.-based EFRR, South Point, Ohio-based SPOR and ILW, and assume direct control of those rail carriers, according to the Surface Transportation Board. (SPOR Photograph)
  • News

Regional Rail to Add Three More Small Roads

Regional Rail, a Kennett Square, Pa.-based short line holding company, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(2) to acquire control of Class III carriers Effingham Railroad Company (EFRR) and South Point & Ohio Railroad, Inc. (SPOR), as well as Illinois Western Railroad Company (ILW), upon its becoming a Class III rail carrier.

LRT Growth Continues, But at Restricted Speed (UPDATED With Commentary)

RAILWAY AGE, NOVEMBER 2022 ISSUE: Light rail was a transit phenomenon like none other since the advent of the streetcar itself. A transit mode that burst onto the scene four decades ago, it brought rail transit to dozens of locations in the U.S. and Canada that had lost it during the mid-20th century. It deserves credit for revitalizing urban neighborhoods and central business districts, re-establishing rail transit as an important component of mobility and economic development. It accomplished all that despite having a title that virtually none of its riders understood, and without an agreed-upon definition or taxonomy.

Railway Age/RT&S LRT Conference Spotlights the Tech Side

More than 100 conferees from transit management and the supply and consulting industry gathered in Boston on Nov. 16-17 for “Light Rail: Planning, Engineering & Operations,” which returned to an in-person format following two virtual events in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

New York MTA on Nov. 30 said it “needs to boost fares above its expected 4% hike and may be forced to cut service and implement layoffs if state and city lawmakers fail to direct more aid to the system to help fix an estimated $3 billion deficit in 2025,” according to a Bloomberg report. (Photograph Courtesy of MTA)

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Sound Transit, VIA Rail

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has released its proposed 2023 budget and four-year financial plan. Also, live-wire testing continues for Sound Transit’s East Link light rail line, which will extend 14 miles from downtown Seattle to Redmond, Wash.; and VIA Rail Canada has released a third-quarter 2022 report and entered into a long-term agreement with CGI for work on its new online reservation system.

OLI Releases Rail Safety Week 2022 Report

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) has issued a results report on this year’s observance of Rail Safety Week (Sept. 19-25, 2022), which it said “reached millions of people through events and activities as well as digital media campaigns, social media and other online messaging.”

RailVision Founder and CEO Dev Jain. (Photo: Business Wire)
  • News

RailVision Secures $4MM in Seed Funding

Canada-based RailVision Analytics, which was launched in 2020 with the objective of “helping the railway industry reduce its fuel consumption and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” announced Nov. 30 that it has closed a $4 million seed funding round from investors to be used for technical hiring, growing the company’s development team, and expanding its product line and customer base.

RTD Submits ‘Zero Fare for Better Air’ Final Report

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) on Nov. 30 announced that it has submitted a final report to the Colorado Energy Office detailing the outcomes of its inaugural Zero Fare for Better Air (ZFBA) period, which took place this past August, as a requirement of the Ozone Season Free Transit Grant Program created in the Colorado Senate Bill 22-180.

ACWR Seeks to Acquire NS’s Piedmont Subdivision

Class III rail carrier Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway Company (ACWR) has filed a verified notice of exemption to acquire from Norfolk Southern (NS) the approximate 104-mile Piedmont Subdivision, which, pursuant to a Lease and Option Purchase Agreement, ACWR has operated since 1989, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) announced on Dec. 1.

Week 47: U.S. Rail Traffic Falls Below 2021, 2019 Levels

For the week ending Nov. 26, 2022 (Week 47), total U.S. rail traffic was down 4.1% compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) reported on Nov. 30. Traffic was down 21% compared with the same week in pre-pandemic 2019, according to Susquehanna Financial Group (SFG) Analyst Bascome Majors.

NYCT crews have completed deep cleaning at six out of the nine Bronx stations with the final three expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

Transit Briefs: NYCT, MBTA, Amtrak

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) announces launch of “Station ReNEWvation Program.” Also, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) South Coast Rail is on track for late 2023 start; and Amtrak releases Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) summary.

TSA Eyes Cybersecurity Rulemaking

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is seeking input on ways to strengthen cybersecurity and resiliency in the pipeline and rail freight, passenger and transit sectors.

JAXPORT Announces New Trans-Atlantic Service

Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT), which is served by 40 daily trains via CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS), as well as regional railroad Florida East Coast Railway (FEC), announced on Nov. 28 that it has partnered with U.K.-based Ellerman City Liners to offer direct container service to/from three destinations in Europe.

CN President and CEO Tracy Robinson (right) presents STARS President and CEO Andrea Robertson (left) with a $100,000 donation for the non-profit.

Class I Briefs: CN, NS

CN announces $100,000 donation to Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS). Also, Norfolk Southern’s (NS) Atlanta headquarters wins U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Chrysalis Award in the “New Construction Transformation” category.

As part of its Climate Action Plan, San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission has moved to the sole use of renewable diesel (R100) for its ACE locomotive fleet.

Transit Briefs: ACE, NJT, STM

San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission has made the switch to 100% renewable diesel for locomotives operating in ACE (Altamont Corridor Express) commuter rail service in California. Also, New Jersey Transit (NJT) and Berkeley College have signed a three-year marketing agreement; and Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has released its 2023 budget and 2023-32 Capital Expenditures Program.

INRD will run a Santa Train on Dec. 2-4, making 12 stops throughout southern and western Indiana and eastern Illinois. (INRD Photo)

Small-Road Briefs: INRD, SNCR

The Indiana Rail Road Co. (INRD) will again be hosting Santa and Mrs. Claus in 2022. Also, non-carrier Revolution Rail Holding Company, LLC has filed a verified notice of exemption to acquire from Saratoga and North Creek Railroad (SNCR) approximately 33 miles of rail line in New York.