Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
October 15, 2020
New York & Lake Erie Resumes Excursion Passenger Trains
The New York & Lake Erie is resuming excursion passenger trains after being shut down due to COVID-19 concerns. Commencing on October 17 trains will operate from Gowanda, N.Y. to South Dayton, N.Y.
October 14, 2020
Rail Traffic for the Week Ending October 10, 2020
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending October 10, 2020. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 520,452 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.9 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending October 10 were 230,964 carloads, down 5.2 percent compared with the same week in 2019, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 289,488 containers and trailers, up 8.4 percent compared to 2019.
October 13, 2020
SEPTA Receives Two Federal Grants to Advance Key Initiatives
SEPTA has been awarded a total of $1.2 million through two competitive federal grants, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced.. The grants will be made through the FTA Safety Research and Demonstration Program and the FTA Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) program. The awards will help fund the installation of automated right-of-way worker protection technology and the planning and design of future complete streets concepts for the Grays Avenue corridor.
October 12, 2020
NJ Transit Deploys AquaTrack To Prevent Slippery Rail Conditions During the Fall
NJ TRANSIT will begin utilizing two AquaTrack machines to clean and remove leaves from the rails, beginning Sunday, October 11th and continuing throughout the fall season. The AquaTrack equipment is a high-pressure power washing system which removes leaves and oily residue from the tracks in an effort to prevent train delays caused by “slippery rail” conditions.
October 9, 2020
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao Launches Stop. Trains Can’t. Awareness Campaign to Save Lives at Railroad Grade Crossings
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced the launch today of this year’s Stop. Trains Can’t. public education campaign, which will run through November 8.
October 9, 2020
MBTA Fall Commuter Rail Schedule Changes
The MBTA and Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis), the agency’s operating partner for Commuter Rail, today announced upcoming schedule changes across Commuter Rail to better meet the evolving needs of passengers. These changes will take effect on Monday, November 2.
October 8, 2020
Lt. General (Ret.) Thomas Bostick Appointed to CSX Corp. Board of Directors
CSX Corp. today announced that Lt. General (Ret.) Thomas Bostick has been appointed to the company’s board of directors, effective immediately. “We are honored to have Tom join the CSX board of directors,” said John Zillmer, chairman of the board.
October 8, 2020
LIRR Expansion Project Hits Halfway Point Ahead of Schedule and Under Budget
With four of eight railroad crossings eliminated and six of seven bridges rebuilt or upgraded, among other accomplishments, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that construction of the LIRR Expansion Project has hit the halfway point, ahead of schedule and under budget. The project, one of the largest transportation infrastructure projects in North America, will introduce 10 miles of new track between Floral Park and Hicksville
October 8, 2020
Additional Funding Needed Soon To Avoid Additional Amtrak Service and Employment Reductions
Following regular discussion with Congress about our federal funding needs for Fiscal Year 2021, Amtrak submitted a letter to Congress formalizing our ongoing request for up to $4.857 billion this fiscal year for Amtrak and our partners. From the letter, Amtrak President and CEO Bill Flynn notes “we have seen that our ridership is not returning as quickly or at the levels that we had hoped for, and we updated our forecast for FY 21. We now anticipate needing up to $4.857 billion in FY21 to support the company and our employees through this unprecedented situation.”
October 8, 2020
CN Grain Movement: Seven Months of Record Movement in a Row
As the North American economy continues its recovery, CN is pleased to announce that its people moved 7.76 million metric tonnes (MMT) of grain in the third quarter of 2020 and that September marked the seventh straight month in a row of record grain movements, supporting Canadian grain farmers and the grain supply chain.
