Second rail bridge proposed for Eagle Pass, Texas, gateway

BNSF Railway Eagle Pass to Mexico rail

WASHINGTON – A new short line is seeking regulatory approval to build a rail and highway bridge over the Rio Grande at the Eagle Pass, Texas, gateway. Green Eagle Railroad, a subsidiary of Puerto Verde Holdings, aims to build a new 19.12-mile secure cross-border corridor that includes 1.335 miles of double track between Union Pacific’s […]

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First portion of Mexico’s Maya Train set to begin operation

Three trains at station

CANCÚN, Mexico — The first section of Mexico’s Tren Maya, or Maya Train — a tourism project on the country’s southeastern tip championed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — is slated to open today (Friday, Dec. 15), just five years after it was announced and years ahead of initial projections. But the project remains […]

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Amtrak seeks applicants for scholarship program

Amtrak logo.

WASHINGTON — Amtrak is seeking applications for 11 scholarships it will award for full-time undergraduate and graduate students with rail interests under a series of programs, the company has announced. Applications are due by the end of Jan. 31 for scholarships including: — Women in STEM: For those pursuing an undergraduate or master’s degree majoring […]

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Pennsylvania DOT awards $42.5 million to fund 25 freight rail projects

Logo of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has awarded $42.5 million to help fund 25 freight rail infrastructure projects on short lines and with shippers within the state, the agency announced on Wednesday. The state’s share in the projects ranges from $7.6 million to $84,000 and will be funded through the Rail Transportation Assistance […]

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BNSF tells regulators that UP aims to block interchange access to proposed Utah short line

WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway this week asked federal regulators to ensure that it can use its trackage rights over Union Pacific to interchange with a proposed new short line railway in Utah. UP last month sought Surface Transportation Board permission to reinstitute common-carrier service over a 1.04-mile section of the abandoned Warner Branch. The connecting […]

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MBTA approves new four-year contract with Machinists Union

Logo of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority board of directors has approved a new four-year contract with International Association of Machinists Lodge 264, including an overall pay raise of approximately 18% over the life of the contract, as well as several provisions intended to improve worker retention. The contract approved on Wednesday, Dec. 13, is […]

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Portland transit agency announces plans for six-week shutdown of major light-rail hub

Aerial view of light rail station at junction, surrounded by bus bays

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Gateway Transit Center, a hub for the MAX light rail system’s Red, Blue, and Green lines in eastern Portland, will be closed to rail service Jan. 14 to Feb. 25 of next year to allow for construction, transit agency TriMet has announced. The resulting service disruption will include a suspension of […]

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Canadian, Quebec governments fund conveyor project at Port of Saguenay

Small rail yard and storage area with wind machine parts

SAGUENAY, Quebec — The Canadian government and the province of Quebec will help fund a conveyor system at the Port of Saguenay, connecting the port to storage facilities and railyards in the community’s industrial port zone. The funding announced this week includes C$55.2 million from the federal government, a loan of up to C$36.8 million […]

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Weekly U.S. rail traffic again shows increase

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic remained ahead of 2022 levels for the week ending Dec. 9, the fifth straight week with volume in positive territory. The latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads show total traffic for the week was 499,094 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.7% increase over the same week a year […]

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Sound Transit CEO Timm to resign

Woman with short dark hair

SEATTLE — The CEO of Sound Transit is resigning after just 16 months, sending the agency back into a search for a new chief executive. Julie Timm, who became CEO in September 2022, will “return to the East Coast to take care of family matters,” Sound Transit said in a statement on Tuesday, Dec. 12. […]

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Two rail projects receive federal Rural Surface Transportation grant funding

WASHINGTON — A pair of rail-related projects are among the 18 selected to receive grants totaling $645 million under the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program, announced Tuesday, Dec. 12, by the U.S. Department of Transportation. “Rural communities face some of the toughest transportation challenges, yet are often left out of major federal investments, a pattern […]

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CTA train was in emergency braking when it struck snow removal machine

Stainless steel railcar with smashed-in front end

WASHINGTON — A Chicago Transit Authority train was in an emergency brake application when it struck a snow removal machine last month, according to the preliminary report released today (Tuesday, Dec. 12) by the National Transportation Safety Board. While preliminary reports set basic facts of an accident and do not determine cause of an incident, […]

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