Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
December 31, 2020
Governor Cuomo Announces Grand Opening of Moynihan Train Hall in New York City
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the grand opening of Moynihan Train Hall, a 255,000-square-foot train hall designed for the 21st century in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. The $1.6 billion project transformed the more than 100-year-old James A. Farley Building into a world-class transportation hub that increases the existing Penn Station rail complex’s concourse space by 50 percent. The Governor also announced that the East End Gateway to Penn Station at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue opens on New Year’s Eve. The hall is named for former U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
December 30, 2020
Rail Traffic for the Week Ending December 26, 2020
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending December 26, 2020. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 405,111 carloads and intermodal units, up 8.4 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending December 26 were 185,029 carloads, down 3.4 percent compared with the same week in 2019, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 220,082 containers and trailers, up 20.8 percent compared to 2019.
December 30, 2020
Amtrak Expands Its Presence In New York With The Addition Of The Moynihan Train Hall
As part of its 50th anniversary, Amtrak, in partnership with Empire State Development (State of New York), has expanded its footprint in New York City with the opening of Moynihan Train Hall, located inside the Farley Post Office building, between 31st and 33rd Street directly across 8th Avenue from New York Penn Station. The new station, combined with recent improvements to New York Penn Station, will relieve crowding, improve passenger comfort and security, and offer an enhanced facility that will better serve Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC) and long-distance travelers, and commuter rail passengers.
December 29, 2020
Federal Railroad Administration Announces Landmark Achievement with Full Implementation of Positive Train Control
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced today that positive train control (PTC) technology is in operation on all 57,536 required freight and passenger railroad route miles, prior to the statutory deadline of December 31, 2020, set by Congress. In addition, as required, FRA has certified that each host railroad’s PTC system complies with the technical requirements for PTC systems. Furthermore, railroads have reported that interoperability has been achieved between each applicable host and tenant railroad that operates on PTC-governed main lines.
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.
