Railroad News

A nonpartisan business coalition was formed yesterday to advocate for extending passenger rail from Boston to Manchester, New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire Business for Rail Expansion has released a list of more than 50 businesses, organizations and individuals in support of the extension. The list includes Northwestern Mutual and University of New Hampshire.

The California State Transportation Agency awarded $51.9 million in State Rail Assistance program funding to seven recipients. The funds are made possible by the passage of state Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) last year.

SB 1 created the State Rail Assistance Program by directing a portion of new revenue specifically to intercity rail and commuter rail. The majority of program funding is directed by statutory formula to rail operators. The legislation is expected to provide $7.6 billion in new transit funding over the next decade.

The New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) board is set to consider New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's nomination of Kevin Corbett to serve as the public transportation system's executive director at its next meeting.

Caltrain announced yesterday that it will be awarded $2.5 million from California's new State Rail Assistance Grant program.

The program was created by Senate Bill 1, the landmark statewide transportation legislation signed last year. Caltrain expects to receive close to another $4 million from the program next year, railroad officials said in a press release.

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The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending January 27, 2018.

TNW Corp. has hired Luis Delgado to serve as market development manager.

Delgado will support marketing of TNW's three railroads and their respective logistics centers by contributing to the company's strategic planning and managing sales initiatives and programs.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Associate Editor

[Editor's note: This story was updated at 1:40 p.m. CST.]

Texas Central earlier this week unveiled details of its planned bullet-train station in downtown Dallas.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy yesterday nominated Kevin Corbett to serve as executive director of New Jersey Transit.

The governor asked the agency's board to take up the nomination at its Feb. 4 meeting. If approved by the board, Corbett would succeed Steven Santoro, who earlier this month announced plans to resign.

President Donald Trump called on Congress last night to produce legislation that will modernize the nation's infrastructure.

In his first State of the Union address, Trump said he wants a bill that will generate "at least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure investment we need."

A Port Authority Transit Corp. (PATCO) commuter train yesterday struck an electrical conduit hanging near track in Camden, New Jersey, resulting in four passenger injuries and extensive delays.

The train, which was traveling eastbound near the Ferry Avenue Station, was carrying 23 passengers, eight of whom were PATCO employees.

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) has appointed Lindsey Baker director of strategic partnerships.

In her role, Baker will identify and establish strategic partnerships for the deployment of systemwide planning for the agency, DCTA officials said in a press release.

Oklahoma Department of Transportation (OKDOT) successfully moved two BNSF bridge spans into place the weekend of Jan. 26-28 in a complicated maneuver that was part of a highway expansion project.

OKDOT said the move was the first of its kind in state history, took two years to plan and required a 60-hour work window where all lanes of I-235 in Oklahoma City were shut down for the move.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has selected a preferred alignment for the Red Line Extension (RLE) project, which is set to extend the Red Line to 130th Street from 95th Street.

A trio of rail advocacy groups, the Rail Passengers Association (RPA), the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), are joining forces to make one thing clear: Railroad tracks are no place for pedestrians, cars and bicyclists.

Citing recent fatal incidents in Florida, what the groups call "an unhelpful political campaign targeting the Brightline rail service" and a local group's suggestion that using tracks as walking paths is a normal activity, have prompted the joint focus on safety around railroad tracks.

The Snead Family, responsible for founding several Georgetown, Texas, businesses, including a quarry, a railroad and a rail solution company, was honored at an event held Jan. 29 at Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX).

GREX Executive Chairman Chris Aadnesen hosted the gathering outside the historic GREX Business Car 400, which recently made the move to its permanent home at GREX's headquarters. Attendees included members of the Snead family, employees of the quarry, railroad and GREX businesses, as well as local officials. Aadnesen said the event was a way to thank the Snead family for their contributions to the rail industry and the Georgetown community.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has released and is taking public comment on the new draft of its Massachusetts State Rail Plan.

The draft outlines Massachusetts' priorities and proposed plans for the next two decades of passenger and freight rail investments, officials said.

Texas Central, which is planning to build a privately-funded 240-mile, 200 mph railway linking Dallas with Houston, has selected the site for its station in Dallas and says it has reached an agreement with developer Jack Matthews, which owns the site.

The terminal will be built on a largely-vacant 24.3-hectare plot alongside an existing railway south of Dallas' Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre in the revitalised Cedars neighbourhood, near the highway interchange between Interstate 30 and Interstate 35.