FRA awards $1.5 billion for 19 Northeast Corridor infrastructure projects

Aerial view of rail bridge across other rail lines

WASHINGTON — The federal government will provide $1.5 billion in funding for 19 projects along the Northeast Corridor, the Federal Railroad Administration announced today (Friday, Nov. 15). Leading the list of projects to be funded under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail is almost $400 million for a project to replace and upgrade the […]

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Caltrain electrification boosts ridership

Low-angle view of commuter train in San Francisco

SAN CARLOS, Calif. — The first full month of electrified service on Caltrain’s San Francisco-San Jose route spurred significant ridership growth, the commuter rail operator says. All-electric operations began Sept. 21. In October, Caltrain carried more than 753,000 passengers, a 54% increase from October 2023. That included average weekday ridership of about 27,000, up 38%, […]

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Kentucky awards $7.5 million for eight shortline rail projects

Line of people holding shovels

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Commonwealth of Kentucky is providing $7.5 million in grant funding for eight infrastructure projects on short lines, Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Thursday (Nov. 14). R.J. Corman Railroad Group, Transkentucky Transportation Railroad, and the Paducah & Louisville Railway each received funding for two projects, while the Tennken Railroad Co. and Louisville […]

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CN derailment near Montreal leads to chemical spill, shelter-in-place order

Aerial view of firefighters spraying water on derailed freight cars

LONGUEUIL, Quebec — Eight cars of a Canadian National train derailed today (Thursday, Nov. 14) in suburban Montreal, releasing a cloud of a potentially hazardous material and leading to a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents as well as area schools. The derailment occurred after 8 a.m. in the community of Longueuil, on Montreal’s south shore, […]

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Community withdraws from talks over Lac-Mégantic bypass

Map of Lac-Megantic Bypass

NANTES, Quebec — Officials in a community on the route of the proposed Lac-Mégantic rail bypass have withdrawn from talks with the Canadian government about the project. The CBC reports that the municipal council in Nantes — which passed a resolution opposing the bypass in January 2023 — decided at a meeting on Tuesday, Nov. […]

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Referendums on New Jersey light rail plan yield split results

Map of rail line between Camden and Glassboro, N.J.

Opponents of a proposed light rail line in South New Jersey scored one win and one loss in local referendums over a proposed 18-mile, 14-station light rail line between Glassboro and Camden. NJ.com reports 54% of voters in Glassboro indicated support for the Glassboro-Camden Line, 4,030 votes to 3,452, while those in Brooklawn were narrowly […]

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NJ Transit chooses new operator for Hudson-Bergen light rail line

Light rail train with multistory buildings in background

NEWARK, N.J. — A new company will become the contract operator of NJ Transit’s Hudson-Bergen light rail line, the NJ Transit board has decided. The board has awarded a $1.5 billion, 15-year contract to the ACI-Herzog joint venture effective Sept. 15, 2025, to take over operation of the 24-station, 20.6-mile light rail line. The contract, […]

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VIA goes to court over CN speed restrictions on Venture trainsets

Gray, yellow and black passenger train at station

OTTAWA, Ontario — VIA Rail Canada is asking a Canadian court to review speed restrictions imposed on its Venture passenger equipment by Canadian National Railway, saying CN has not provided any evidence or valid reasoning for the move. The Canadian Press reports VIA said in a Federal Court filing that “there is no evidence to […]

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CSX aims to boost throughput at its largest and busiest hump yard

View from control tower of hump yard

WAYCROSS, Ga. — If there’s one dot on the CSX system map that’s more important than any other, it’s Waycross, Ga., the home of Rice Yard. CSX’s largest and busiest hump yard sits at the junction of the railroad’s main corridors to Chicago, New York, Florida, and New Orleans. And with CSX expecting a wave […]

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