Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
September 1, 2022
VRE to Suspend Fares Systemwide for September
Rides on the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) will be free systemwide for the entire month of September. Passengers will not need tickets to ride between any of VRE’s 19 stations.
September 1, 2022
Biden-Harris Administration, USDOT Make $1.4 Billion in Rail Grants Available Through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
The U.S. Department of Transportation today issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) announcing the availability of over $1.4 billion in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) Grant funding. The CRISI Program, which is administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), advances projects that modernize America’s freight and passenger rail infrastructure, allowing people and goods to move more safely and efficiently and helping make goods more affordable for American families.
September 1, 2022
Amtrak Will Resume Service to Vancouver BC
Amtrak, in conjunction with WSDOT, ODOT, VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail), and other federal agencies, will resume Amtrak Cascades service to Vancouver, British Columbia, on September 26.
August 31, 2022
Rail Traffic for the Week Ending August 27, 2022
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 27, 2022. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 511,574 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.4 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending August 27 were 242,633 carloads, up 3.4 percent compared with the same week in 2021, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 268,941 containers and trailers, down 0.3 percent compared to 2021.
August 31, 2022
VRE’s New Fredericksburg Overhaul Facility
Clark Construction joined representatives from the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) on August 30 to celebrate the topping out of the Lifecycle Overhaul and Upgrade (LOU) Facility project in Fredericksburg, Virginia. At the celebration, the final steel beam was signed and placed atop the facility. Clark is serving as the contractor on the project.
August 31, 2022
MTA Announces Opening of Second Section of LIRR Main Line Third Track
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the opening of the 2.5-mile second section of the Long Island Rail Road’s new Main Line third track between the Merillon Avenue and Mineola stations.
August 30, 2022
Freight Railroads Reach Tentative Agreements with Three Unions
The nation’s freight railroads have reached tentative agreements with the Transportation Communications Union/IAM, Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Together, these unions represent more than 15,000 rail employees.
August 30, 2022
Ridership on Amtrak’s Virginia Routes Hits All-Time High
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) and Amtrak announced today that ridership on its state-supported trains hit an all-time high in July with more than 110,000 passengers traveling. This is an increase of 28.9 percent over June of 2022 and an increase of 19.8 percent over pre-pandemic ridership in July of 2019.
August 29, 2022
National Agreement Negotiations Continue
On Monday, August 22, the SMART TD and BLET, along with the other remaining United Rail Unions, met with the Rail Carriers via Zoom to determine if PEB 250’s recommendations could serve as a basis for a tentative agreement. In-person meetings were then held on Thursday and Friday in Chicago, Illinois. Unfortunately, the meetings did not result in any tentative agreement language that operating crafts would accept, or that could be presented to our members for ratification.
August 26, 2022
GCRTA Awarded $11.5 Million from Two ODOT Transit Funding Programs
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) announced today the award of $11.5 million from two ODOT transit funding programs. The first award of $8 million will go towards GCRTA’s Rail Car Replacement Program. That funding comes from ODOT’s Ohio Transit Partnership Program (OTP2).
