Federal Railroad Administration

“By amending the Freight Car Safety Standards in accordance with BIL section 22425, we are taking a significant step forward in ensuring that our rail infrastructure remains resilient and safe for the transportation of vital goods and commodities,” FRA Administrator Amit Bose said.

FRA Proposes Changes to Freight Car Safety Standards

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is proposing to amend the Freight Car Safety Standards (FCSS) to advance a freight rail safety provision of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Manufacturers of newly built freight cars placed into U.S. service will face restrictions.

ASLRRA President Chuck Baker
Commentary

Short Lines Are Dependable and Get the Job Done

ASLRRA PERSPECTIVE, RAILWAY AGE DECEMBER 2023 ISSUE: The story of “The Little Engine That Could” began as an American folktale popularized by various authors in the 1900s. An early published version of the tale appeared in 1906 under the title “Thinking One Can” in Wellspring for Young People, a national Sunday School Publication. A subsequent version was published in 1910 in the Kindergarten Review under the title “The Pony Engine.” In 1930, the story became widely known under the title “The Little Engine That Could” after a Chicago publishing house released it as an illustrated children’s book that was used in schools to teach children the value of optimism and hard work.

VW Mitigation Trust Funding Available to Short Lines in Calif.

The Volkswagen (VW) Environmental Mitigation Trust for California has approximately $55 million in funding available to support “statewide combustion freight and marine projects that replace or repower equipment to the cleanest commercially available internal combustion, hybrid or zero emission technologies,” the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) reported in its Nov. 30 Views & News newsletter.

HDR photo

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Tri-Rail, RTD

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) selects an HDR-led team to provide program management to its Station Capital Program. Also, final federal approval could bring Tri-Rail to downtown Miami in December; and the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) installs new light rail seat covers.

Brightline West says its planned 218-mile passenger rail service will run from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., with 96% of its alignment within the median of the I-15 highway.

STB Advances $12B Brightline West Project

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has authorized construction and operation of a modified alignment of the high-speed passenger rail project proposed by private-sector firm Brightline West, subject to environmental mitigation measures.

Paducah & Louisville Railway, Inc. was one of five ASLRRA Southern Region members to earn a President’s Award in 2023. ASLRRA President Chuck Baker (right) and ASLRRA Southern Region Vice President Ben Tarbutton III (left) presented the award at this month’s Eastern & Southern Region Meeting. (ASLRRA Photograph)

ASLRRA Members Honored for Safety Performance

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) presented President’s Safety Awards to members at its Central and Pacific Region Meeting, held Sept. 26-28 in Long Beach, Calif., and at its Eastern and Southern Region Meeting, held Nov. 7-9 in Lexington, Ky.