Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
August 11, 2023
Service Disruption September 9 to November 5 on Haverhill Commuter Rail Line
The MBTA announced service changes on the Haverhill Line between Ballardvale Station in Andover and North Station for 58 days from Saturday September 9 through Sunday November 5 to accommodate planned construction related to the implementation of the Automatic Train Control/ Positive Train Control (ATC/PTC) safety program
August 10, 2023
Texas Central and Amtrak Seek to Explore High-Speed Rail Service Opportunities between Dallas and Houston
Texas Central Partners (“Texas Central”) and Amtrak are seeking opportunities to advance planning and analysis work associated with the proposed Dallas-Houston 205-mph high-speed rail project to further determine its viability. Amtrak has cooperated with Texas Central on various initiatives since 2016 and the two entities are currently evaluating a potential partnership to further study and potentially advance the project.
August 9, 2023
AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending August 5, 2023
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 5, 2023. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 471,938 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
August 9, 2023
BLET Conducting Strike Authorization Vote at NJ Transit
Five hundred locomotive engineers employed by NJ Transit (NJT) will begin receiving ballots in the mail this week from their national union seeking authorization to call a strike at the nation’s third-largest commuter railroad.
August 9, 2023
MTA Unveils New All-In-One Mobile App for Trip Planning and Service Information
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that its new MTA app is available for download. The app is currently in BETA testing and will eventually succeed the MYmta app. The app features schedules, service alerts and more for subways, buses, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad all in one place. Users can also book Access-A-Ride trips and see elevator and escalator outages at stations throughout the subway system.
August 8, 2023
Sandersville Railroad Adds Pittman Construction to List of Hanson Spur Users
The Sandersville Railroad Company has announced Pittman Construction as an additional user of its planned rail spur in Hancock County. Pittman Construction will utilize the spur to transport liquid asphalt, a non-hazardous, low-temperature, highly-viscous to semi-solid ingredient in asphalt used to pave highways. Liquid asphalt is currently being delivered to the Pittman facility via truck.
August 8, 2023
Data Finds Overwhelming Support for Passenger Rail in America
Amtrak published survey findings today that demonstrate strong support from American voters for continued passenger rail investments, including infrastructure renewal and service expansion. Conducted by the Mellman Group and commissioned by Amtrak to better understand America’s interest in intercity passenger rail service, findings show consistent support for passenger rail across geographic location, age, race and gender.
August 4, 2023
CSX Announces Departure of Operations Executive Jamie Boycuck
CSX announced today that Jamie Boychuk, executive vice president of Operations, is leaving the company. President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Hinrichs thanked Boychuk for his role in the implementation of scheduled railroading and cited the company’s depth of operational experience that will ensure continuity while CSX searches for a successor.
August 3, 2023
611 Steam Excursions in Virginia
The Virginia Museum of Transportation, Inc. (VMT) and the Virginia Scenic Railway (VSR) are excited to jointly announce that the Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 steam passenger locomotive will be operating a series of specially scheduled passenger excursions later this fall within the Commonwealth of Virginia.
August 3, 2023
CSX and SMART-TD Partner to Deliver Enhanced Conductor Training with Additional Week of Hands-on Experience
CSX and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — Transportation Division (SMART-TD) announced they are partnering to extend CSX’s conductor training program to five weeks from the previous four-week regimen to provide new hires with additional hands-on experience prior to beginning on-the-job training (OJT).
