Intercity

WATCHING WASHINGTON, RAILWAY AGE APRIL 2024 ISSUE: With the voluntary departure of Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairperson Martin J. Oberman expected by May, President Biden is mulling five potential Democratic nominees for the opening. The President separately will name a new chairperson. Given the decision-making influence of the Senate’s second ranking Democrat—Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois—it’s understandable that four…

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has signed the combined Final Environmental impact Statement (FEIS), Record Of Decision (ROD) and Final Section 4(f) Evaluation for Amtrak’s Washington Union Station Expansion Project proposed preferred alternative. The FEIS describes the impacts of the No Action Alternative and the Preferred Alternative (Alternative F) on the environment, and responds to comments received on the June…

Amtrak has selected ADVANCE, a joint venture of AECOM and Jacobs, as Delivery Partner for the $6 billion Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in Baltimore. Amtrak says this is the first time it has deployed a Delivery Partner model for one of its major infrastructure projects. Under the model, the private partners will share the risk…

Editor’s Commentary: Jim Tilley on Feb. 13 wrote to Amtrak Board Chair Anthony Coscia regarding procurement of a new long-distance fleet. Railway Age reproduced the letter in its entirety and published a response from Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner. The following is Tilley’s response to Gardner, albeit addressed to Coscia. We expect a response and will publish it, in the interests…

TTC OPERATED BY ENSCO, RAILWAY AGE APRIL 2024 ISSUE: The Facility for Underground Rail Security and Safety Testing (FURSST) at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC), also known as the “Underground Tunnel,” is a groundbreaking facility designed to address critical security and safety concerns within the rail and transportation industry. Funded by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for the Vehicle Blast…

The Federal Railroad Administration on April 2 issued a final rule, 49 CFR Part 218 [Docket No. FRA-2021-0032, Notice No. 5], RIN 2130-AC88, Train Crew Size Safety Requirements “establishing minimum safety requirements for the size of train crews” that, while it doesn’t specifically preclude railroads from operating trains with one person crews (OPTO, “one-person train operations”), it makes it extremely…

Twenty projects—10 rail-related—will share $17.6 million in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants through the Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on March 28 named 21 voting members to the newly formed Passenger Rail Advisory Committee (PRAC).

The April 2024 issue of Railway Age is now available digitally, with special reports on passenger rail post-pandemic and on safety from the freight rail industry’s top thought leaders.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) plans a low-income fare program and graduates another large class of heavy rail (rapid transit) engineers. Also, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) revises the design for a new passenger railcar maintenance facility; New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will pilot firearm detection technology; and San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) reports a…

At the Toronto Region Board of Trade (TRBT) 9th Annual Transportation Symposium, "Train Daddy" (as he was nicknamed in New York City) Andy Byford, among the most recognizable figures in global passenger rail and now Senior Vice President for High-Speed Rail at Amtrak, spoke about project management and engaged in a Q&A with Infrastructure Ontario President, Project Delivery Angela Clayton…

It has been more than four decades since a scheduled passenger train called at any point in the Lehigh Valley, in northeastern Pennsylvania. At one time the area hosted service to New York and nearby New Jersey, to Philadelphia, and to other places in Pennsylvania, including Reading and Harrisburg. The service to the New York area ended in 1967, to…

Dreamstar Lines of Newport Beach, Calif., has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Union Pacific (UP) “formalizing the parties’ negotiations toward a comprehensive final agreement” and “identifying the fundamental terms for Dreamstar to operate its trains” on UP’s Coast Line via Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and San Jose, according to a SFGate report.

The hydrogen fuel cell-powered multiple unit travels 2,803 kilometers (1,741 miles) without refueling.

This is the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trains Association’s (HFCTA’s) fourth and final article in a series addressing Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) powered trainsets, locomotives and streetcars that are commercially available, in development, or planned around the world. Reducing harmful greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions sustains our earth to be livable for our grandchildren and generations beyond. It is not the purpose…

It has been 75 years since the California Zephyr launched its first trip between the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago.

Railway Age's Next-Gen Freight Rail 2024 Conference took place on March 12, 2024, at the Union League Club of Chicago. The annual event, attended by close to 200, featured Tracy Robinson, President and CEO of CN and Railway Age’s 2024 Railroader of the Year; CN Vice President of Engineering and Railway Track & Structures 2023 Engineer of the Year Brett Laing; Union Pacific (UP) President Beth Whited;…

Rail professionals were recently treated to the inner workings of railroads in the New York City area. The half-day session, courtesy of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in North America (CILTNA), explored the challenges and opportunities in the region’s rail system at the New York Rail Summit on March 5, 2024. Moderated by Andrew Young, Director for Passenger…

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has headquartered rail industry research and test activities in Pueblo, Co., for more than 40 years. Building on this legacy, AAR’s wholly owned subsidiary MxV Rail (formerly TTCI) has transformed the organization and opened a new multi-campus operation to support the railways’ engineering, controlled on-track testing, and laboratory testing needs. MxV Rail recently completed…

Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) in California is exercising an option with Siemens Mobility for more LRVs (light rail vehicles). Also, Canada’s three biggest transit agencies, including the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), are urging the federal government to advance the next wave of transit funding; Valley Metro in Phoenix, Ariz., is installing new fare machines; and the Colorado General Assembly…