The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has selected five rail capital projects in South Dakota and Alaska for Special Transportation Circumstances (STC) grants totaling $6.9 million. The grants are made available by the Consolidated Appropriations Acts of 2019 and 2020.
Norfolk Southern has published its 13th annual Corporate Responsibility Report, highlighting the company’s performance in 2019.
Phase 2 of the 16-mile Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley project is under way with the start of design, engineering and contract procurement. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) recently released the first Request for Industry Feedback (RFIF) for tunnel and track work. This $6.8 billion final phase will expand BART operations six miles through downtown San José to Santa Clara and include four new stations (see map below).
Class II Reading & Northern Railroad (RBMN) has named Eric Peters as Vice President Transportation and Safety. Reporting to Executive Vice President Operations Tyler Glass, Peters will succeed Thomas Cook, who retires later this year.
The New Orleans & Gulf Coast Railway (NOGC)—Railway Age’s 2016 Short Line Railroad of the Year—and Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railway Co. (NDW) will be performing line upgrades with grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2020 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program.
Canadian Pacific inaugurated its Holiday Train in 1999, and every year since it has traveled across Canada and the northern U.S., raising money, collecting food and drawing attention to the important work of local food banks. In its first 21 years, the train raised $17.8 million and collected 4.8 million pounds of food for local food banks in communities along CP’s network. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CP won’t operate the Holiday Train, but it will instead donate to food banks and host a virtual concert.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors has approved an updated 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).
MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) started returning its Bombardier R179 fleet to revenue service Sept. 23.
CN Police Constable André LeBreux is the recipient of Operation Lifesaver Canada’s 2019 Roger Cyr Award, which is presented annually to an OL Rail Safety Ambassador “who goes above and beyond in promoting rail safety.”
Former San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) CEO Paul Jablonski, who passed away suddenly May 10, has been inducted to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Hall of Fame “for his extraordinary contributions to public transportation, his dedication to advancing the industry and outstanding leadership over a 40-yearlong career.”
