Rock Island to Operate Temporarily for BNGR in Oklahoma
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) is permitting the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (Rock Island) to provide service for 30 days over rail line owned by the state of Oklahoma and the
Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Okla., BIA Petition STB to Allow Emergency Operator for Blackwell Subdivision
The State of Oklahoma, by and through the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the Blackwell Industrial Authority (BIA) have petitioned the Surface Transportation Board (STB) for an emergency order allowing the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, LLC (Rock Island) to provide local rail service on the Blackwell Subdivision, 35.3 miles of rail lines owned by ODOT and BIA and leased to the Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad Company (BNGR).
FRA Requiring BNGR to Discontinue Operation
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued an emergency order requiring Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad (BNGR), a Class III railroad headquartered in Blackwell, Okla., to “discontinue operation of all trains, locomotives and any other on-track rail vehicles or equipment under any circumstances,” stating that the short line is operating with “a complete disregard for the safety of the public.”
Transit Briefs: Amtrak, Metrolinx, NYMTA, TransLink
Amtrak can now operate up to 110 mph through most of the Chicago-St. Louis corridor, and awaits approval of a federal grant to plan an Oklahoma City-Newton, Kans., connection. Also, Metrolinx offers a new way to pay for transit fares in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area; New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) reports nearly $500 million in upgrades to Brooklyn’s Broadway Junction subway station complex, and could consider re-instating Twitter to publish service alerts; and TransLink ridership in Metro Vancouver rebounds in 2022.
OKDOT Oks crossing upgrades
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation expects to spend approximately $100 million over the next three years upgrading 300 highway/rail grade crossings now only marked with crossbucks to full warning systems gates, lights and bells, as well as concrete crossing surfaces.