Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
July 7, 2022
Rail Traffic for June and the Week Ending July 2, 2022
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 2, 2022, as well as volumes for June 2022. U.S. railroads originated 1,157,555 carloads in June 2022, down 1.5 percent, or 17,970 carloads, from June 2021. U.S. railroads also originated 1,323,119 containers and trailers in June 2022, down 4.6 percent, or 63,483 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in June 2022 were 2,480,674, down 3.2 percent, or 81,453 carloads and intermodal units from June 2021.
July 6, 2022
President Biden, USDOT Announce More Than $573 Million in Available Funding from the New Railroad Crossing Elimination Program
The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) announcing more than $573 million in available grant funding this year alone for the Railroad Crossing Elimination Program. This new competitive discretionary grant program – which will help improve safety, eliminate lengthy delays at railroad crossings in communities across the country and ultimately lower the costs of transporting goods, making them more affordable for American families – was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will be administered by the Federal Railroad Administration.
July 6, 2022
SEPTA Trolley Tunnel To Close For 2022 Trolley Tunnel Blitz, July 8-25
SEPTA crews will work around-the-clock for 16 days, tackling critical track and power maintenance, station upgrades, and intensive cleaning as part of the 2022 Trolley Tunnel Blitz.
July 6, 2022
MBTA Green Line B Branch 12-Day Improvements Work Completed on Schedule; Green Line C Branch Closure to Begin July 11
As part of the MBTA’s Capital Programs, the Capital Transformation team has completed the 12-day closure on the Green Line B Branch, accomplishing infrastructure work that will improve safety and reliability on the line. During the closure, crews replaced 3,200 feet of track, four units of special track work, one vehicular intersection, one pedestrian crossing, and installed wayside equipment for the Green Line Train
July 6, 2022
Amtrak Partners With Seastreak For Newport Water Shuttle
Amtrak today announced it will partner with Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and Seastreak for another season to offer travelers connecting service from Providence Station to Newport via convenient shuttle connections to and from the SeaStreak Ferry Terminal now through Monday, October 10. There will be four daily roundtrips available now through Monday, September 5, and three daily roundtrips available from Tuesday, September 6 through Monday, October 10.
July 5, 2022
CN and IBEW Agree to Binding Arbitration Ending Strike
CN has announced that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has agreed to binding arbitration, bringing the strike to an end at 00:01 EDT on July 5, 2022. Employees in Signals and Communications will return to their roles at 07:00 AM EDT on July 6, 2022.
July 1, 2022
Virginia and Norfolk Southern Announce Closing of Western Rail Initiative Agreement
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) and Norfolk Southern Corporation announced the financial closing of the Western Rail Initiative Agreement which will expand passenger rail service from Washington, DC to Roanoke, Va. and to the New River Valley.
June 30, 2022
VRE to Contribute Millions to Advance Transforming Rail in Virginia
The Virginia Railway Express (VRE), having successfully closed a public bond sale on
June 28, will make a significant financial contribution to the Transforming Rail in Virginia (TRV) program.
The commuter rail service will use $119.2 million of the bond proceeds to support the commonwealth’s
purchase of rail right-of-way in the Interstate 95 corridor from CSX Transportation.
June 30, 2022
MTA Testing Tech to Modernize Signal System
The Transit Tech Lab announced that four companies were selected as finalists in its Signaling Challenge, a global competition calling for technologies that will help modernize New York City’s aging subway signaling system quickly and cost-effectively. The challenge seeks to increase subway capacity, efficiency and reliability by enabling trains to run closer together. The four finalists, selected from nearly 60 applications, are testing solutions that utilize emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, LiDAR and communication-based train control (CBTC) across the New York City Transit subway system.
June 30, 2022
Rail Traffic for the Week Ending June 25, 2022
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 25, 2022. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 493,374 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.4 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending June 25 were 229,857 carloads, down 3.1 percent compared with the same week in 2021, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 263,517 containers and trailers, down 5.5 percent compared to 2021.
