FRA Signs Washington Union Station Expansion Project FEIS/ROD/FS4(f)E

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has signed the combined Final Environmental impact Statement (FEIS), Record Of Decision (ROD) and Final Section 4(f) Evaluation for Amtrak’s Washington Union Station Expansion Project proposed preferred

Amtrak Selects Frederick Douglass Tunnel Delivery Partner

Amtrak has selected ADVANCE, a joint venture of AECOM and Jacobs, as Delivery Partner for the $6 billion Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in Baltimore. Amtrak says this

Commentary

‘Hope is Not a Plan, and No Plan is a Plan For Failure’

Editor’s Commentary: Jim Tilley on Feb. 13 wrote to Amtrak Board Chair Anthony Coscia regarding procurement of a new long-distance fleet. Railway Age reproduced the letter in its entirety and published a

Utah Transit Authority will receive $360,000 from the FTA to conduct a planning and economic analysis to assess the viability of transit-supportive land use changes and improvements along the FrontRunner commuter rail corridor. (Photograph Courtesy of HDR)

TOD Planning Projects to Receive $17.6MM

Twenty projects—10 rail-related—will share $17.6 million in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants through the Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning.

STB Appoints Inaugural PRAC Members (UPDATED 4/2)

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on March 28 named 21 voting members to the newly formed Passenger Rail Advisory Committee (PRAC).

The last Train #75, SP's Lark, with SDP3206 on the point ready to leave Los Angeles, April 8, 1968. Wikimedia Commons/Drew Jacksic

Report: Dreamstar Lines Signs MOU With UP for Coast Line Track Access

Dreamstar Lines of Newport Beach, Calif., has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Union Pacific (UP) “formalizing the parties’ negotiations toward a comprehensive final agreement” and “identifying the fundamental terms for Dreamstar to operate its trains” on UP’s Coast Line via Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and San Jose, according to a SFGate report.

Screenshot Courtesy of Amtrak

Amtrak Celebrates 75 Years of the California Zephyr

It has been 75 years since the California Zephyr launched its first trip between the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago.

​Passengers wait to board a Piedmont train at the station in Greensboro N.C. (NC By Train)

Transit Briefs: MBTA, Brightline, NC By Train

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) issues a request for information (RFI) to gather views on plans to replace its existing Operations and Maintenance (O&M) contract and considers increasing service on the Fairmount Line with a new fleet of electric battery-powered trains. Also, Brightline cuts its 2024 ridership forecast; and NC By Train ridership continues to grow.

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Commentary

Passenger Trains That Might Never Leave the Station

The FRA recently came out with an interim report in its Long-Distance Rail Study, which was commissioned by Congress in §22214 of the Infrastructure Innovation and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as

Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner
Commentary

‘Dear Mr. Tilley’

I am responding on behalf of Anthony Coscia, Amtrak’s Chairman, to your Feb. 13 letter regarding Amtrak’s long-distance fleet. Since I already addressed many of your assertions (in bold italics below) in

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