Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
December 28, 2020
Amtrak Statement By Board Chair Tony Coscia On The Opening Of Moynihan Train Hall
Amtrak’s Moynihan Train Hall in New York City will open on January 1, 2021. It will feature beautiful vistas, modern design, new amenities and enhanced accessibility.
December 24, 2020
NTSB Recommends Rail Tank Car Placement to Mitigate Risks of High Hazard Flammable Trains
The National Transportation Safety Board recently issued a safety recommendation report, regarding placement of Department Transportation-111 rail tank cars in high hazard flammable trains and the use of buffer cars for the protection of train crews. The recommendation requires all trains have a minimum of five non-placarded cars between any locomotive or occupied equipment transporting hazardous materials, regardless of train length and consist.
December 23, 2020
MTA Railroads Announce All Trains Operating in Positive Train Control, Critical Safety Technology
MTA Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi and Long Island Rail Road President Phil Eng announced today that all trains on both railroads are operating in Positive Train Control (PTC), an advanced commuter rail safety technology being installed across the country. The completion of the federally mandated technology project comes in ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline — a remarkable feat given the scope of the project and challenges this year posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
December 22, 2020
Statement from MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye on COVID Relief Bill
MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye issued a statement on the COVID Relief Bill.
December 22, 2020
Amtrak Statement By CEO Bill Flynn On Annual Funding And COVID-19 Relief
Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn issued a statement on the the COVID Relief funding package and next year’s annual funding.
December 21, 2020
FRA Publishes Final Rule for State Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Action Plans
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published a final rule requiring 40 states and the District of Columbia to develop and implement highway-rail grade crossing action plans to improve public safety. In addition, the rule requires 10 states that have already developed grade crossing action plans, as required by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA) and FRA’s implementing regulation, to update their plans and submit reports describing the actions they have taken to implement them.
December 21, 2020
CN Announces Partnership for New Logistics Park in Alabama
Canadian National is pleased to announce that, in collaboration with Alabama Export Railroad, and Ray-Mont Logistics, it is launching the first phase of a new, innovative, high-tech logistics park in Mobile, AL. expected to open in late 2021. The first phase of the project will be a facility for bagging and containerizing plastic pellets.
December 18, 2020
NJ Governor Murphy and NJ Transit Celebrate Major Milestone With PTC Certification
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy today, alongside NJ TRANSIT Board Chair and Department of Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin Corbett, Amtrak President Stephen Gardner, Federal Railroad Administrator Ron Batory, and Parsons Corporation’s Terry Fetters, announced that NJ TRANSIT’s Positive Train Control (PTC) system has been certified by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) as meeting the December 31, 2020 deadline for implementation.
December 17, 2020
MTA Services Operating Near Normally After Winter Storm
As of 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17, services of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) were operating well following the aftermath of a winter storm.
December 16, 2020
MTA Announces Preparations In Advance of Winter Storm Gail
With Winter Storm Gail forecast to bring between 6-18 inches of snow and wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has activated its 24/7 Command Center to monitor the storm and ensure safe, reliable service. MTA employees will be spreading salt and clearing platforms and stairs of snow and ice, keeping signals, switches, and third rail operating, and will remove any downed trees that may fall across tracks, and attend to any weather-related challenges during the storm.
