Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
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.
October 7, 2020
Rail Traffic for September and the Week Ending October 3, 2020
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending October 3, 2020, as well as volumes for September 2020. U.S. railroads originated 1,119,546 carloads in September 2020, down 9.7 percent, or 119,909 carloads, from September 2019. U.S. railroads also originated 1,423,883 containers and trailers in September 2020, up 7.1 percent, or 94,351 units, from the same month last year.
October 7, 2020
Metro-North Railroad, Elected Officials and Advocates Call for Urgent Federal Funding to Save Hudson Valley Public Transportation
Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin joined labor leaders and advocates today to demand that any federal emergency funding bill cover all transportation sectors, not just one, and to urgently call on the United States Congress and White House to authorize $12 billion in desperately needed COVID-19-related relief for the MTA to avert draconian railroad service reductions of up to 50%, fare increases, layoffs and the gutting the MTA’s historic capital plan.
October 6, 2020
Watco Acquires Property, Files with STB to Lease Chicago Area Rail Line
Watco Companies, LLC, (Watco) under a
newly formed subsidiary Elwood Joliet & Southern Railroad (EJSR), LLC, has acquired a
former Railway & Industrial Services, Inc. (RIS) property in Crest Hill, Illinois, near Joliet,
Illinois, and leased an adjoining rail line that serves RIS and several other local customers from
Wisconsin Central Ltd. (CN).
October 6, 2020
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules that the 2015 vote by the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority awarding a rail operating agreement to Carload Express passed
Carload Express, Inc. announces its satisfaction with the October 1, 2020 decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which upheld a 7-3 vote by the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (JRA) to award a rail-operating agreement to Carload Express.
October 5, 2020
SEPTA to Phase Out Paper Ticket Sales on Regional Rail
With the SEPTA Key Card Travel Wallet now available for Regional Rail, SEPTA will start to phase out the use of paper tickets. Sales of single trip and 10-trip ticket strips will end on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020.
October 2, 2020
President Trump Clears Hurdle for Alaska-Alberta Rail Corridor
President Donald Trump issued a Presidential Border Crossing Permit (presidential permit) for the Alaska – Alberta Railway Corporation (A2A Rail) to lay track across the border between Alaska and Canada, a crucial step for the $17 billion USD rail line to become a reality.
