Railpace Hot News
Keep up to date on the latest railroad news from the northeastern United States and Canada, edited by Carl Perelman.
May 21, 2024
FRA Continues Strengthening Rail Safety Through New Rules Requiring Certification of Dispatchers and Signal Employees
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced two final rules that will require railroads to develop certification and training programs for train dispatchers and signal employees.
May 21, 2024
Seasonal Service to Old Orchard Beach Resumes
The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) announced that the Amtrak Downeaster seasonal service to Old Orchard Beach resumed on Monday, May 20, 2024. From expansive beaches to amusement parks and the famous pier fries, there’s something for everyone to enjoy within walking distance of the Old Orchard Beach train platform.
May 20, 2024
Washington Metro Retires the 2000-series Subway Cars:
On May 10, Metro retired its 2000-series subway cars. These cars were introduced in the early 1980s, are past their useful life. Metro trains are built to last generally around 40 years or so. Reliability has decreased over the years and parts are getting harder to procure.
May 16, 2024
Record Ridership on MTA Commuter Railroads
Governor Kathy Hochul announced record ridership on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority commuter railroads, the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad. The LIRR carried 260,745 riders on Tuesday, May 14, the highest ridership for a single weekday since the pandemic. The ridership record coincided with a Grand Central Madison record – 41 percent of riders traveled to Grand Central Madison on Tuesday, the highest split with Penn Station since the terminal opened for full service last February.
May 16, 2024
Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending May 11, 2024
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 11, 2024. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 468,748 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.6 percent compared with the same week last year.
May 15, 2024
FRA Makes More Than $2 Billion in New Funding Available to Continue Improving America’s Busiest Passenger Rail Corridor
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that makes available over $2 billion in Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program funding for projects located on the Northeast Corridor (Fed State-NEC). The corridor supports 800,000 passengers per day and billions of dollars in annual economic activity.
May 14, 2024
NJ Transit, Amtrak Announce Portal North Bridge Reaches 50% Completion Milestone
NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak have announced the Portal North Bridge has reached 50 percent completion. At a ceremony at the construction site, the agencies marked the halfway point of the project.
May 13, 2024
NY Governor Hochul Announces Completion of Megaproject to Upgrade Metro-North Railroad’s Maintenance and Operations Hub at Croton-on-Hudson
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the completion of upgrades to MTA Metro-North Railroad’s vital maintenance and operations hub at Croton-on-Hudson, NY, which employs 1,200 people. With the opening of this new 400,000 square foot facility, known as the Harmon Shop, Metro-North will be able to maintain train reliability and meet the maintenance needs of its operations for decades to come.
May 10, 2024
Norfolk Southern Announces Shareholders Have Elected 10 of 13 of the Company’s Director Nominees
Norfolk Southern Corporation announced that the preliminary vote count of its proxy solicitor indicates that its shareholders have voted to elect 10 of Norfolk Southern’s director nominees at the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
May 9, 2024
Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending May 4, 2024
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 4, 2024. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 463,106 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.0 percent compared with the same week last year.
